More Than Just a Broken Arm
by softballchic34
Summary: A broken arm is the least of Steve's problems. AU to episode 1.20.
1. Chapter 1

I have been working on this since December 2011 but have had the idea since shortly after the episode aired. This is an AU to episode 1.20 where Steve breaks his arm after finding the body in the jungle. After a fall like that, Steve shouldn't have come away with some scrapes and a broken arm. Pure hurt/comfort.

This is a WIP but I have enough done that I am comfortable posting now. I will try to update once a week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii Five-0 or any of the characters. Nor do I make a profit off them.

Chapter 1

Danny will never admit it, but he really is enjoying this hike with McGarrett. The petroglyphs are fascinating and it is a really beautiful place to be. It's not a bad way to spend the morning when he doesn't have Grace. Everything is going really well up until they find a body on a ledge below the petroglyphs. '_Leave it to McGarrett to find a body in the middle of nowhere on what is supposed to be a leisurely hike.' _Danny thinks to himself.

"I'm going down there, he could still be alive." Steve says as he sets up the climbing gear he is carrying. He hooks his harness to the rope and makes his way down to the ledge.

"Is he alright?" Danny asks as Steve rolls the body.

"He's dead." Steve yells up to him. "He's got a gunshot wound through and through and there's very little blood."

"Alright look, there's no action up here. No signs of a struggle. Somebody dumped him."

"It's got to be from a plane or helicopter."

"Get out of the way, let me take a picture." Danny snaps the picture on his phone. "Alright come on. Let's go for a little hike, call a crime scene unit. Come on."

"I need you to take up the slack as I climb, alright?"

Danny grabs the rope and starts pulling tight.

"Take that slack Danny!" Steve yells up as he starts climbing.

"Go easy, take your time." Danny said when Steve hits a loose patch of rocks. Steve slows down a little but reaches to grab a rock above him. The rock comes loose and Danny watches in horror as Steve falls backward and the rock slams him in the face. The next thing Danny knows, the rope comes loose from Steve's harness and Steve keeps falling. There isn't anything Danny can do to stop him.

"Steve!" Danny yells as he watches Steve's body slam into the unforgiving rock below him. Steve hits the rock on his left side and slides on his stomach toward the edge of the ledge. He comes to a stop with his head hanging over the edge.

"Steve! Hey Steve! Steve!" Danny yells but doesn't get an answer.

"Steve! Can you hear me?" Danny's yells fall on deaf ears. Danny really hopes that Steve is just unconscious and not dead. The boulder that hit him probably weighed at least fifty pounds minimum and he fell somewhere close to thirty feet, he was almost to the top when the rock came loose.

Danny tries for a few more minutes to rouse his unconscious friend. After nearly five minutes with no results, Danny pulls out his cell phone and is dismayed to find that he doesn't have a signal. He then digs through Steve's backpack to see if the SEAL has a sat phone in there but comes out with a pocket knife, several bottles of water, a couple MREs, duct tape, and a small first aid kit. Danny is disappointed to say the least. The always come prepared Navy SEAL boy scout did not come prepared for a major emergency such as this.

Danny glances down at his partner. As much as Danny doesn't want to, he realizes that the only choice he has to get McGarrett help is to leave him here alone while he goes in search of a cell phone signal.

"I'll be back soon buddy! I'm gonna go call for help!" Danny yells down to the still unconscious man. He knows he probably can't hear him but telling Steve where he is going makes him feel better.

Without a second thought, Danny is running back the way he came into a more open area of the jungle. He stops when he gets to the ridge but still doesn't have a signal. He looks around for the highest point. He remembers Steve telling him on the way up there that the only place with cell service was at the summit. As soon as Danny figures out which direction to go in, he is off at full speed, forcing his short legs to move as quickly as they possibly can.

He finally reaches the top fifteen minutes later. If he had the breath, he would cheer at finally having a cell signal. He dials Chin's number and waits impatiently for him to pick up the phone.

"Hey, thought you were supposed to be on a hike with McGarrett?" Chin says by way of answering.

"Steve fell, he's hurt."

"Whoa, What? How bad?" Kono says. Chin must have put the phone on speaker.

"I don't know how bad, I'm not a doctor. He's unconscious. "

"Where are you?"

"At the petroglyphs."

"Kono is running your coordinates."

"Alright, listen we need a rescue team as soon as possible."

I'll call in Army evac."

"We also need a crime scene unit."

"Wait, what?" Kono asks, her confusion evident. "I thought this was a rescue mission, what's a body doing way out there?"

"What's a body doing-? I don't know. Male mid fifties. Doesn't look like a hiker."

"Alright I'll send a crime scene unit."

"Army evac is on its way." Chin states.

"Alright, I'm heading back." Danny hangs up the phone and runs back to where he left Steve. It takes him probably twenty minutes to get back to the petroglyphs. Steve is still lying in the same position as he was when Danny left so Danny assumes that he hasn't woken up yet. If he has, he wasn't aware enough or able to move.

"Steve! Can you hear me?" Danny yells down to him. He still doesn't get a reply. Danny really wants to go down there to make sure his friend is still alive but there isn't a safe way for Danny to go. The rope snagged on a broken branch and even if it were free, Steve only brought one harness. The cliff is too steep for Danny to free climb down so that option is out. He'll just have to wait for the medevac.

After a few minutes he hears the distinct sounds of a helicopter approaching. Looking toward the sky, Danny can see the chopper coming over the tree ridge. He starts waving his arms and when he is sure he has the attention of one of the Army guys. He motions down to where Steve is laying. He watches impatiently as two Army medics are lowered down to Steve's position. After they detach from the cable, a third soldier is lowered down to where Danny is.

"Are you alright, Detective?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you know how Steve is?"

"Commander McGarrett is alive, but unconscious. They are going to get him stabilized and prepped for transport and then get him on the chopper. In the mean time, I need to take you on board." The soldier then fastens Danny into the awaiting harness and signals for the guys in the helicopter to raise them up. Danny's eyes never leave Steve.

The two medics fasten a c-collar around Steve's neck before carefully moving him away from the edge and rolling him onto a backboard. Together, they carefully check Steve over for other injuries. It appears the only thing they find is a broken left arm. They place a splint on his arm before fastening the straps the backboard. One medic signals for the guys in the helicopter to lower the basket. Steve is lifted into the basket and then secured before being raised up into the chopper.

Within minutes, they have Steve and the two medics on board and are flying to the nearest hospital. Danny watches in morbid fascination as the medics take care of Steve. One is monitoring his vital signs and the other is placing an IV line in his right arm.

"Pupils nonreactive and I got blood coming from his ear." The first medic, Brewer, according to the patch on his uniform, said. Prewitt, the other medic, makes note of that on the chart he is writing the vital signs on.

"What's our ETA?" Brewer yells to the pilot.

"Eight minutes to Tripler. Five to Queens. Which one?" The pilot yells back.

"Queens! Commander McGarrett has serious head trauma. He needs a hospital ASAP! Queens has the best trauma center on the island."

Danny is terrified. He has taken enough first aid classes to know that bleeding from the ear is a bad sign of serious head injuries. He also realizes that there isn't any swelling or lumps on Steve's head. Also not a good sign. He remembers from his first aid classes that a goose egg where the hit was indicates that the damage is all outside the skull. No goose eggs or external swelling after a hit as hard as the one Steve took tells them that the swelling could be inside.

They are three minutes from the hospital when Steve starts seizing. The two medics work quickly to get Steve turned on his side and start injecting medications into his IV line to try to get the seizure to stop. When they land on the helo pad at the hospital, Steve is still seizing. Danny follows them inside but is stopped by a nurse when they reach the trauma room doors.

"I'm sorry, Sir; but you can't go in there."

"He's my partner. I need to know he's ok." Danny is still trying to get past her and into the trauma room.

"Sir, as soon as there is news on your partner's condition someone will be out to inform you but until then, the doctors need room to work and they can't do that if you are in the way."

Danny knows she is right but he still doesn't like the fact that he can't be there with Steve right now. He can see into the room through the glass window and is pleased to see that Steve has finally stopped seizing. He lets the nurse show him to the waiting room where he spends the next two hours waiting with Chin and Kono.

After two hours, they are informed that Steve has been taken up to surgery. They move up to the surgical waiting room and resume waiting for news on Steve's condition.

After seven hours and countless cups of bad hospital coffee, a doctor dressed in dark blue surgical scrubs finally emerges from the closed doors.

"Family of Steve McGarrett?" He calls.

TBC

Let me know what you think. Is it worth continuing?


	2. Chapter 2

****Thank you all for the kind reviews and to everyone who favorited or add this to their alerts! I never expected such a great response to this fic. Chapter 2 is up a bit earlier than I intended because of the wonderful response to chapter 1 and because I am procrastinating studying for finals exams.

**Chapter 2**

Danny is on his feet in less than a second. "That's us. How is he?"

"I'm Doctor Freeman, Commander McGarrett's neurosurgeon, please sit." Danny, Chin, and Kono resume their seats and Dr. Freeman pulls one of the other chairs around and sits down in front of them.

"How's Steve?" Danny asked again.

"Commander McGarrett made it through surgery. He suffered from a subdural hematoma-bleeding on the brain-so we performed a craniotomy to stop the bleeding. The surgery went well, with no complications. We inserted an ICP monitor to monitor the pressure on his brain, as well as the swelling. We will remove that after several days when the pressure in his skull returns to an acceptable level. He also has a small hairline skull fracture. We are going to keep him in a drug induced coma for a few days to give his brain and body a chance to heal."

"How long?" Danny asked.

"Most likely four to five days and then we will lighten the sedatives and let him wake up slowly. After the drugs wear off it could be a matter of hours or several days before he is fully awake."

"What about his other injuries?"

"Commander McGarrett sustained a fracture to the C-6 vertebra. He is very lucky however, it is a minor fracture and did not affect his spinal cord at all. He will have to wear a neck brace for a few weeks but it will heal completely and shouldn't give him any further problems. His left forearm was also fractured; we set the bone with a couple screws and a plate and put his arm in a cast. It should heal fully in 4-6 weeks. The rest of the Commander's injuries are relatively minor. He has extensive bruising on his left side and back and while that will be painful it isn't life threatening, by the time he is conscious again it shouldn't be much of an issue for him. He also has some nasty scrapes on his right arm and along his left side. We cleaned the wounds and placed a few stitches in the deepest spots."

"How many is a few?"

"In total, including the staples used to close up the incision site? 61."

Chin let out a low whistle. That is a lot of stitches.

"Can we see him?"

"He's getting settled in the ICU now. We will be monitoring him closely for the next few days. I'll have a nurse take you to him as soon as he is ready. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another surgery scheduled. If you have any questions feel free to let the nurses know and they can page me for you."

"Thank you Dr. Freeman." Danny shakes his hand and the doctor is heading back through the doors he came from.

It's another thirty minutes before a nurse comes to take them to Steve. As they walk to Steve's ICU cubical, the nurse explains to them that they each have 10 minutes and not a second longer as visiting hours are almost over for the day. She also explains that Steve will look much different than usual. He is on a ventilator and will continue to be until they stop the sedation. They finally reach his glass encased cubical and the three remaining members of Five-0 are taken aback by how fragile their tough as nails boss looks.

Steve's normally tan complexion is now almost as pale as the pillow case. He has a ventilator tube snaking out of his mouth and his head is wrapped in bulky bandages, there is a thin white tube snaking out from the bandage that is connected to a monitor. The left side of his face is now bruised and swollen and Danny can see the scrapes by Steve's eye brow and on his cheek. His left eye is swollen completely shut. His neck is encased in a gray rigid brace and his left forearm is covered in white fiberglass and resting on a pillow.

Danny lets Chin and Kono take their turns first. He opts to go last in the hopes that he may be able to get a few extra minutes in. Danny finally gets his turn and he takes a seat in the uncomfortable chair on the right side of the hospital bed. He carefully takes Steve's hand, avoiding the IV line.

"Hey Steve. You really did it this time. You better bounce back from this-sooner rather than later. If you check out on me I will personally bring you back from the grave and kill you again myself." Danny was quiet for a few minutes, "God Steve, I'm so sorry. If I hadn't let go of the rope you wouldn't be in here right now."

Danny is speechless. He can't think of anything else to say right now. He squeezes Steve's hand and just sits there, watching the mechanical rise and fall of Steve's chest. Danny sits there and holds Steve's hand until a nurse comes in and kicks him out, telling him he can return at 10 am the following morning.

-H50-

Danny, Chin, and Kono spend the next three days trading off time sitting with Steve and working the case. They quickly get on first name basis with the nurses. Even though they know Steve won't wake up for a while and likely doesn't even know that they are there, they still try to spend as much time at the hospital with him as they are allowed and able. After three days, they manage to solve the case of the body found in the jungle.

After the case is closed and the paperwork is filed, Governor Jameson gives Five-0 several days off to deal with what happened to Steve and give Chin and Kono time to spend with their family after their Aunt died.

Five days after the accident, Dr. Freeman finally decides that Steve's intracranial pressure is at an acceptable level to bring him out of the drug induced coma. It's rather anticlimactic as there isn't any change in Steve's condition when the drugs leave his system. The ventilator is still in place since Steve hasn't started taking breaths on his own yet.

Danny is currently sitting at Steve's bedside reading a Sports Illustrated magazine out loud. They are hoping that having someone talk to him will give him a little prompting to wake up. Steve looks better than he did five days ago but still doesn't look like himself. The bulky bandage wrapped around his head has been downsized to a smaller, less bulky bandage. The swelling on Steve's face has gone down, leaving a myriad of blue and purple bruises. His left eye is still swollen but looks much better than it did. When Steve wakes up, he may actually be able to open it slightly.

Danny reads for a couple hours until he finishes the magazine. He looks at Steve who still hasn't shown any signs of waking up. Danny grabs his hand and gives it a squeeze.

"Come on, Steve. You need to wake up soon. Gracie keeps asking me when she can see Uncle Steve again. That isn't going to happen until you open your eyes and start telling me you are fine. So you better wake up soon because you know how much Grace likes waiting. She's worried about you…We all are."

"We figured out what that body was doing out by the petroglyphs. He witnessed Donald Rutherford smuggling his son Jordan, The Spring Break Strangler, out of the country to Hong Kong. He was trying to protect his son. Said his son made a stupid mistake. Murder is not a stupid mistake. Anyway, the US Marshalls extradited him back to Hawaii. Donald Rutherford killed Jack Leung before he could go to the authorities and tell them what he saw.

Leave it to you to find a body in the middle of the jungle during a hike on our day off. You know, I'll deny this if anyone asks, but I really did have a good time on the hike. Up until we found the body and you ended up here anyway…I'm really glad you decided to share that piece of your childhood with me. I know you don't like talking about your dad much, but I'm really glad you did. Maybe when you wake up and break out of here we can go back there for another hit, only without the whole finding a body and you falling off a cliff part."

Danny feels a light squeeze against his hand. His eyes fly to Steve's face. "Steve? Can you hear me?"

Danny waits but doesn't feel another squeeze, Steve's eyes don't open but he can see them moving beneath the lids. "Steve, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Danny demanded.

He starts to think that maybe he'd just imagined the hand squeeze after a few moments with no response but finally, just as Danny was about to let go of his hand, he felt another squeeze. Just then a nurse comes into the room.

"How's our patient today, Detective?"

"He just squeezed my hand."

The nurse, Amy, studied the monitors and checks his pupils before making some notes in his chart. She leans over him and says, "Steve, squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

It takes a few long seconds for Steve to respond but there is definitely a light, if barely there, squeeze.

"This is wonderful! All his vitals are looking good; it's great that he's responding to us."

"Does this mean he's going to wake up soon?"

"It's definitely encouraging; but it could still be a few days before he's awake." Amy says as she starts the routine of setting up Steve's feeding tube. It takes about ten minutes for Amy to get everything connected and working properly. "If you need anything just put the call light on."

"Thanks" Danny says. He sits back and looks at Steve again. "Of course you would choose the moment I start telling you that I want to go back to the petroglyphs to start waking up and listen to what I am saying. There's no way I'm getting out of a trip back to the petroglyphs, is there Steven?"

Steve squeezes Danny's hand again and Danny lets out a chuckle. "You better hurry up and open your eyes then, Steve."


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter! It motivates me to continuing writing. Also, thank you to everyone who read but didn't review, seeing the hit count go up makes my day! I am finally done with final exams for the semester so I have more time to write this. I originally said this was going to be 10-11 chapters but it keeps growing and growing. I will try to start updating more regularly now that I am done with school for the summer.

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Chapter 3

It's been three days since Steve first squeezed Danny's hand. He is showing more and more signs of waking up. He will open his eyes and track movements if they are within his line of sight since he can't move his head. He follows basic commands and when his body finally started taking spontaneous breaths on its own he starts reaching for the ventilator tube with his casted arm. Dr. Freeman expects to have Steve weaned off it completely later in the afternoon. He took out the ICP monitor the day before.

Danny is sitting with Steve again. He sent the cousins out to get some fresh air and bring back some sandwiches for lunch. They are hoping that Steve will wake up fully today. Dr. Freeman thinks it will be anytime now.

Danny is in the middle of telling him about Grace's latest surfing lesson. She finally managed to get up on a board and ride a full wave back to shore without falling off. Suddenly Steve's heart monitor speeds up, Danny looks up at Steve's face. His eyes are open, searching the room; he has a panicked expression on his face.

"Steve? Can you hear me?" Steve focuses on Danny and squeezes Danny's hand. He still looks panicked and is starting to fight the ventilator. He pulls his hand away from Danny's and starts reaching for the ventilator tube. Danny intercepts the casted extremity and gives his hand a gentle squeeze. He uses his other hand to press the call button clipped to the bed.

"The tube is there to help, Steve. You need to calm down. I called for a nurse and hopefully they can take that pesky tube out. Do you understand, Steve? Blink once if you understand what I'm saying." Steve blinks once, he still looks panicked but not nearly as much as he did a minute ago.

"It's good to finally see you awake, Commander McGarrett." Dr. Freeman says as he enters the room with Amy trailing behind him. "I'm going to check you over and then we can remove the tube okay?"

Steve blinked once again after realizing there was something around his neck that was preventing him from nodding.

Dr. Freeman took out a penlight and shined it in Steve's eyes then had him follow the light with his eyes. After checking the monitors over and making a few notes in the chart Dr. Freeman finally decides that Steve is ready to be taken off the ventilator.

He switches off the machine, disconnects the ventilator from the tube, and unfastens the strap behind Steve's head that was holding the tube in place, "Okay, Steve. I want you to take a deep breath and blow out when I tell you to." Dr. Freeman takes a hold of the tube and prepares to pull it out. "Okay, Steve, blow."

Steve blows out as hard as he can and Dr. Freeman removes the tube, leaving Steve coughing and breathing hard. Amy quickly places a nasal cannula under his nose and spoons a couple ice chips into his mouth. Steve sucks greedily on the ice chips.

"How are you feeling Steve?" Dr. Freeman asks.

"Head hur's. dired." Steve slurs. His voice is barely a whisper.

"That's to be expected. Amy will give you something for the pain as soon as we are done. Do you know where you are Steve?"

"Hospil. Wha' hap…end?" he slurred again.

"You had a climbing accident. Can you tell me who that is, Steve?" Dr. Freeman pointed at Danny.

"Dan...ny."

"Good. And what month and year is it?"

Steve has to think about that for a minute, he feels so confused and disoriented right now he isn't sure if he would know up from down. "Aprl two thou 'leven?"

"That's right." Dr. Freeman smiles and takes Steve's left hand, "I want you to squeeze my hand as hard as you can." Steve does as he's told and then Dr. Freeman repeats the process with his right hand. "Can you squeeze harder, Steve?" Dr. Freeman frowns as Steve squeezes his hand again; he moves to the end of the bed and pulls the blanket away from Steve's feet. He puts his hands against the bottoms of Steve's feet, "Alright Steve, I want you to push my hands away." Nothing happens and Danny is afraid that Steve can't when he realizes that Steve fell asleep on them.

"Hey, Steve." Danny shakes his shoulder, "Wake up Bud. You can sleep in a few minutes but right now you need to do as Dr. Freeman says. Okay?"

"Kay." Steve's eyes flutter open.

"Push against my hands with your feet, Steve." instructs Dr. Freeman.

Steve does as he's told. It's obvious that Steve's left foot moves more than his right. "Good job, Steve. Amy will give you something for the headache, you can go back to sleep now."

"Dannodongo." Steve slurs when Amy injects his IV with the pain meds.

Danny takes Steve's hand, "I'll be here when you wake up, Steve. I'm just going to step out and call Chin and Kono. I'll be back in a minute."

"Kay." Steve says as he drifts off to sleep.

Danny follows Dr. Freeman out to the hall. "How's he doing, Doc?"

"All things considered, very well. Unsurprisingly, Steve has some weakness on his right side as a result of the surgery on the left side of the brain but with some physical therapy he should make a full recovery."

"Unsurprisingly?" Danny asks

"Weakness on one side of the body is a common side effect of brain surgery. I was starting to suspect Steve may have some right side weakness when he kept reaching for the ventilator tube with his left hand rather than his right considering his right hand is dominant."

"What about his speech? He was really slurring his words."

"His slurred speech could just be from being so out of it right now but it also could be another side effect of the surgery. My guess is that it is a little of both. We won't know until he is more awake and coherent but he doesn't seem to be suffering any brain damage. Regardless, he will probably need some speech therapy along with the physical therapy to recover fully."

"But he will make a full recovery? This won't stop him from returning to work right?"

"It will take some time and a lot of hard work on his part, but he will be back to normal in a few months baring no further complications. If you'll excuse me I have another patient I need to check on. I'll be back to check on Steve this evening. If you have any questions for me, you can ask one of the nurses to page me."

"Thank you, Dr. Freeman," Danny says before pulling his phone out to call Chin. Just as he's about to dial the number, Chin and Kono exit the elevator, carrying bags from the deli down the street.

Upon seeing Danny standing out in the hall, the cousins rush toward him.

"Is Steve okay?" Kono asks in a panic.

"Relax, Kono. Steve is fine. He woke up." Danny smiles and he can see the relief flowing through Chin and Kono.

"How's he doing?"

"He's sleeping now. He woke up about half an hour ago with a massive headache. Dr. Freeman doesn't think there is any brain damage but he's suffering a few side effects from the surgery."

"Like what?"

"He's got some weakness on his right side and his speech is slurred. The slurred speech may just be from how out of it he was though, it's too soon to tell. He should make a full recovery with some physical and speech therapy but it will take some time."

"That's good to hear, Danny. Can we see him?"

"Yeah, I was just out here talking to Dr. Freeman."

The trio enters Steve's room together. As expected, Steve is sleeping soundly. They sit together and eat their sandwiches while talking quietly.

Steve finally comes around again early that evening. Chin and Kono are sitting by the bedside. Danny stepped out a few minutes earlier to take a call from Grace.

"Hey, Brah. Good to see you awake!" Chin leans over into Steve's line of sight and smiles when he hears Steve make a small noise and his eyes flutter open.

"Hey, Chin. Ko..no." Steve smiles slightly and glances around the room, "Where's Danny?"

"He's on the phone with Grace. He'll be back in a few minutes. How are you feeling?"

"'Kay, head sill hur's...Wha' happ'nd?" Steve's voice is raspy and it looks like it pains him to talk.

"You remember going for a hike with Danny to see the petroglyphs?" Kono asks.

"Yeah." Steve winces and swallows. His throat is extremely sore from the breathing tube.

Kono spoons a few ice chips into his mouth. He smiles in thanks.

"You two found a body on a ledge below the petroglyphs. You climbed down to check it out and on the way back up a rock came loose and clobbered you in the head. You fell about thirty feet and landed on the ledge. We got Army Medevac to get you out and bring you here. You've been in a coma for the last eight days."

"Danny kay?" Steve asks, voice full of concern.

"He's fine, brah, just worried about you." Kono reassures him.

"Wha's... ta damage?"

"You suffered from a subdural hematoma and underwent surgery to stop the bleeding. You also have a fractured vertebra in your neck but don't worry, it didn't do any damage to your spinal cord. You just have to wear that brace for the next six to eight weeks. You also have a broken arm and some nasty scrapes and bruises on your side and back."

"Why can' I dak?"

"Dr. Freeman says it's a side effect of the surgery. With some speech therapy you should be back to normal in no time. You also have some weakness on your right side but the doctor says that should be remedied with some physical therapy."

Just then Danny walks back into the room, he lights up when he sees that Steve is awake. "Hey Steve! It's good to see you awake again!"

Steve smiles at Danny, "Hey…Danny."

"How are you feeling?"

Steve gives a slight shrug, "o..kay."

"Liar." Danny states with a smile.

"Feel o..kay. dired b' not… really 'n...pain. You…kay?"

Steve's speech is slightly better than it was before but it's still slurred. Danny can tell Steve is making an effort to speak more clearly but just can't quite form the words correctly. He looks like he's fighting sleep. Danny lays his hand on Steve's unbroken arm, "Yeah, Steve. I'm okay. You should get some more rest."

Steve actually does as he's told for once and a few seconds later is asleep again.

"How long was he awake for?" Danny asks.

Chin checks his watch, "About fifteen minutes or so. He woke up not long after you left."

"His speech is a little better than it was but I could tell he was really having to work at it."

"How soon are they going to start therapy?" Kono asks.

"The doctor didn't say but hopefully soon. Dr. Freeman said it would probably take a few months for Steve to be back at one hundred percent. Steve is going to hate that."

"You know how Steve is, he will probably set out to prove the doc wrong and be back to normal in a few weeks." Chin laughed.

"That's true, Cuz. Steve won't let this keep him down for long."

A few minutes later the nurse entered to check Steve over and let them know visiting hours were over and that they could return in the morning at 8.

"He was awake again a few minutes ago but it wasn't for very long. His speech was a little less slurred but he was trying really hard to get it that way." Danny stated. He knew they probably should have called her in there when Steve was awake but they were too excited to see him a little more coherent that he was earlier.

"Thanks for letting me know. A speech therapist will probably be in to see him tomorrow afternoon; but it's a good sign that he was speaking more clearly, even if he had to work at it. Steve will also have a visit from physical therapy tomorrow too. The sooner they start working on regaining his strength the better. I expect sometime tomorrow he will be moved out of the ICU to a regular room since he's no longer on the ventilator, providing everything remains stable overnight."

"That's great." Danny smiles at the news. He will be glad to see Steve in a regular room rather than the cold glass cubicle of the ICU.

Amy returns the smile, "Now if you'll excuse me I need to check Steve over before shift change."

"Someone'll call if anything happens over night?" Danny asks.

"Of course, Danny. Your number is at the desk and the night nurse knows to call you if anything changes."

"Thank you, Amy."

"You're welcome. Have a good night."

"Thanks, you too." Danny turns and heads out the door. He's relieved that Steve finally woke up after more than a week of being in a coma, although he is still worried about the side effects of the surgery that Steve is suffering from. Dr. Freeman assured him that Steve would make a full recovery but Danny can't help but worry about his best friend. Danny falls into bed as soon as he gets home and sleeps his first full night of restful sleep since before Steve got hurt.

TBC

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Let me know what you think! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter 4. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read, review, or add this story to their favorites. I never imagined I would get such an amazing response to this fic. This hasn't been beta'd so all mistakes are mine. Also, I don't know how medically accurate this fic is. I have done quite a bit of research for this but I'm no medical professional.

Things are about to get even rougher for Steve.

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Chapter 4

It's been three days since Steve woke up. The day after he woke, they moved him out of the ICU to a private room. He's been having speech and physical therapy several times a day for the last three days. His speech has improved tremendously but it's still not fully back to normal yet, some of his words still slur together and he talks slower than normal, especially when he's tired. The progress on regaining strength on his right side is slow going. Steve can barely lift his right arm to feed himself and even then he only manages a few bites before he gets too tired to continue. It frustrates him and he refuses to eat more if he can't do it himself-not that he has much of an appetite anyway; which is why he still has the NG feeding tube in. One of his IV's has been taken out but the Foley is still in. Steve isn't strong enough to get out of bed yet. All his therapy is done in his room with him lying or sitting propped up in bed. He gets very nauseous and dizzy if he sits up for too long thanks to his head injury. Dr. Freeman says it should get better in the next few days.

Five-0 still hasn't been assigned any new cases so the team is pretty much free to come and go as they please. They go into the office for a bit and then head to the hospital to see Steve when the paperwork gets too mundane.

Steve appears to be asleep when Danny arrives at the hospital. Danny takes a seat next to his bed and pulls out the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. He starts flipping through pages but mostly he just watches Steve over the top of the magazine. He can tell Steve is only pretending to be asleep. His breathing is too irregular and every so often Steve squeezes his eyes shut tighter. His forehead is wrinkled in pain.

"Hey, Steve. I know you aren't asleep what's wrong?" Danny doesn't get an answer but Steve squeezes his eyes shut tighter.

"What's wrong Steve? Come on talk to me. Are you in pain?"

"No."

"What's going on then?" Danny asks in concern.

Steve opens his eyes to look at Danny. "Somethin's not right. Dunno what. Don' feel good."

Danny sees fear and confusion in Steve's face when he finally looks at him.

Steve is about to say something else when his eyes roll back and he starts to convulse.

Danny barely pushes the call button before two nurses come rushing in. Danny watches his horror as they tend to a still convulsing Steve. A few more people enter the room and Danny is unceremoniously pushed into the hall.

Danny waited for almost ten minutes before Dr. Freeman came out of the room.

"What's going on Doc?"

"Steve suffered a grand mal seizure. We are prepping him for a CT scan and EEG now."

"What caused the seizure? Steve said he felt weird before it happened."

"At this point, my best guess is that it is a result of the head trauma and subsequent surgery. We are doing the CT scan to rule out a spontaneous bleed. Did Steve complain of increased pain or dizziness before the seizure?"

"Not really, I noticed he was pretending to still be asleep when I was in there, he had his eyes squeezed shut tight. I asked him what was wrong but he just said he didn't feel right. He said something was wrong but didn't know what. Then he moaned and his eyes rolled to the back of his head right before he started seizing."

Sarah, Steve's primary nurse for the day, steps out of Steve's room, "We are ready to transport him to radiology Dr. Freeman."

"Good, I'll go downstairs with him for the scan. Danny, you can wait here for our return. I will let you know the results of the scan as soon as I have them."

Danny nods and watches and Dr. Freeman and a couple orderlies push Steve's gurney toward the elevator. After the doors close, Danny heads back into Steve's room and attempts to resume reading his magazine.

Danny waits for over an hour before Steve is brought back to his room, he appears to be sleeping as he doesn't stir when they transfer him from the gurney back to his bed. A few minutes later Dr. Freeman enters.

"What's the news Doc? How's he doing?"

"Steve did not suffer a spontaneous bleed. He woke up briefly during the scan so we gave him a light sedative; he is sleeping now and will probably sleep for several hours. It appears that the seizure is a result of the trauma and surgery."

"Is he going to suffer seizures for the rest of his life?"

"It's possible that Steve has developed Post-traumatic epilepsy but it is also possible that this was a spontaneous occurrence. His EEG was inconclusive, so we will do another in a couple days. We have increased his dose of anticonvulsants in the hopes to prevent any more seizures but anticonvulsants don't always work with PTE."

"How is this going to affect his career? Will he still be able to run Five-0?" Danny was full of questions and very concerned for how his friend will deal with this if he does end up have seizures for the rest of his life.

"As long as we can get the seizures under control with anticonvulsant medication he should be able to return to Five-0 in full capacity. He will have to be seizure free for at least 6 months before he is allowed to drive again and allowed back in the field. As for his Naval career, it will unfortunately mean a medical discharge if he does have PTE."

"Steve isn't going to handle that very well."

"Right now it's too soon to tell if this seizure was a onetime deal or if he has PTE. We will monitor his condition and if need be increase his dose of anticonvulsants again to get the seizures under control if he continues to have more. For now we just have to wait and see. Do you have any more questions for me?"

"Not right now. Thanks, Doc."

"You're welcome Danny. If you think of any other questions just ask the nurse to contact me and I will be more than happy to answer them, otherwise I'll stop back to see how Steve is doing in the morning."

"Thank you, Dr. Freeman. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Danny."

Danny sits down next to Steve's bed; he appears to be sleeping peacefully. Danny knows how much being a SEAL and the Navy mean to Steve. To think that Steve came back healthy and whole after three years in Afghanistan and numerous dangerous SEAL missions only to be taken out by a climbing accident on his day off makes Danny sick. He is really hoping this seizure was just a onetime deal.

He stays with Steve for another couple of hours and is about ready to head home for the night when Steve wakes up.

"Hey, Steve. How are you feeling?"

"Tired…have a headache again. Wha' happend? Water?" Steve's voice is rough with sleep and he isn't really awake yet; he fumbles with the bed control to raise his head up a bit.

Danny pours a fresh glass from the pitcher by the bed and hands it to Steve. He puts it back on the bedside table when Steve is done. "You had a grand mal seizure. Dr. Freeman sent you for a CT scan but he doesn't know yet if it was a single random occurrence or if you have Post-traumatic epilepsy."

Steve closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "Epilepsy?"

Danny nods, "They ran some tests but didn't get any conclusive results yet. They upped your dose of anticonvulsants and will monitor for more seizures and repeat the tests in a few days. Right now it's too soon to tell if you have PTE or not."

"This is gonna end my career, Danny; both with Five-0 and the Navy." Steve is more awake now so his speech is better but still slightly slurred.

"Maybe not. Dr. Freeman said that if it is PTE you'll still be able to head Five-0 if they can control the seizures with medications. He said that if you are seizure free after six months you'll be able to drive and go into the field and do everything you normally do."

"It'll still mean a medical discharge from the Navy."

"Yeah, that's true. But there is always the chance that it's not PTE. And no matter what happens, you'll always have me, Grace, Chin, and Kono. Right now we just have to take it one day at a time."

"Yeah, thanks Danny." Steve closes his eyes and Danny can tell he's fighting sleep but also that he is still trying to process everything.

"Why don't you go back to sleep Steve? I'll come by again tomorrow morning. Chin and Kono will stop by too."

"Night Danno." Steve says with his eyes still closed.

"Good night, brother." Danny left as soon as he was sure Steve was sleeping comfortably.

TBC

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Let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry this is late, I have been sick and RL has been kicking my butt this past week. This chapter is a little short but the next few are twice as long as this one. I am going to try to update once a week from now on but unfortunately RL will get really busy for me in the next couple weeks.

Also be warned that this chapter has some strong language, not much but Steve utilizes the F word once or twice.

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Chapter 5

Steve is finally making progress on regaining his strength on his right side. Two days after his seizure he makes his first trip out of bed since the accident. It's just a short trip to the bathroom in a wheelchair after removing the Foley to get cleaned up a bit and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt but its progress none the less. He is able to stand and pivot into the chair and back to the bed. Steve still suffers from dizziness and nausea but it's not as severe as it was when he first woke up. It's tolerable but still annoying.

Steve is happy to be in something more comfortable and covering than a hospital gown. He feels much better after having his first shower in two weeks, not to mention a good shave. The nurses had shaved his beard with an electric razor several times while he was out but it wasn't a very close shave. Steve hates electric razors with a passion; they don't do a very good job and generally tend to irritate his skin. He manage to do most of his shave on his own today but had to have Sarah help finish and touch up when his arm started to shake from the effort. His right arm is much stronger than it was when he woke up but it still tires easily; he is making progress and will probably be back to full strength in another couple weeks. Steve's right leg is still very weak, he barely managed to hold his weight up on it when he stood to pivot into the chair and he can forget walking for a while.

He is currently sitting up in bed pushing his lunch around on his plate. It's dried up chicken, mashed potatoes, what looks like used to be steamed broccoli before it was steamed to mush, and green Jello. Sure Steve has eaten things that look a lot worse than this when he was on missions with his SEAL team and lived off MREs for weeks. Right now though, he doesn't have much of an appetite. He manages the Jello and a few bites of potatoes before he pushes the table away. He doesn't really care for Jello but it's a better alternative to the broccoli or chicken.

Steve runs a hand through the short fuzz covering his head. His hair is starting to grow back after it was shaved from the surgery but it hasn't been this short since he was in BUD/S. He leans back and sighs, his therapist is going to come get him to take him down to rehab in about an hour. It will be his first time doing rehab out of bed, Steve is ready for the new challenge because its one step closer to getting out of this place but at the same time all he wants to do right now is sleep. Getting out of bed this morning really wore him out. He doesn't really feel like getting out of bed again and is kind of crabby at the moment. He is really irritated with his body right now. Steve isn't used to being spent after simply taking a shower. He is about to drop off for a nap when Danny comes in.

"Hey, Steve, you're looking better. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, Danny." Steve replies curtly.

"They got you out of bed this morning?"

"What does it look like?"

"Jeez, who pissed in your cheerios this morning?"

"Fuck you."

Danny puts his hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture.

Steve sighed, "Sorry, Danny. I'm just tired and frustrated."

"Yeah, I know, Steve. This hasn't been easy for you, but you just need to be patient. You'll be back to normal in no time. How are you doing right now? Do you need some pain medication?"

"No, not right now. I took something before I got up. I just have a constant headache and my neck is stiff, feels like my head is going to fall off. How long did Dr. Freeman say I have to wear the brace?"

"6-8 weeks." Steve sighs again. "Look, I know it must be frustrating not being able to move your head and neck, but you could be paralyzed right now Steve. Be glad that you just have to wear a neck brace for awhile and don't have to learn how to live life in a wheelchair."

"I know, Danny. And believe me, no one is more grateful for that than I am. I'm just annoyed with everything. I can't walk, I can barely feed myself, I have no appetite, I can barely keep anything down even if I can eat because I'm so nauseous and dizzy all the time, and I may not be able to go back to my old life if I have more seizures. I'm just scared and frustrated Danny, and I'm sorry I took it out on you."

Danny is shocked that Steve just admitted to being scared. He knew it was true, even before Steve said it but the fact that Steve just admitted it out loud boggles Danny. Steve is always so strong and never shares emotions like that with anyone. Steve's emotional state has been off since he woke up; he's more compliant and doesn't hide his emotions as well as he normally does.

"It's alright, Steve. You know I'm always here for you if you need to talk or vent or whatever-Chin and Kono too. And like I said last night, no matter what happens, seizures or not, we'll always be here for you."

Steve smiles, "Yeah, thanks Danny."

"You're welcome. Now what's this I hear about you getting up for rehab later?"

"Stacy and Dr. Freeman decided it's finally safe for me to get out of bed. Stacy is gonna come get me up in a bit to start rehab on my leg."

"Does this mean you aren't dizzy anymore?"

"No, I still get dizzy when I sit up but it's not as bad as it was a few days ago and it goes away after a minute or two so I'm not gonna pass out if I'm up for too long anymore."

"That's great, man!"

Before Steve can reply, Stacy, Steve's physical therapist, enters the room with a wheelchair. "Are you ready to get up Steve?"

"Yeah, I am. Let's do this."

Danny steps out of the way and Stacy lines the wheelchair up next to the bed.

"Alright Steve, I want you to sit up slowly on the edge of the bed and get your bearings before you try to stand. I'm going to put a gait belt around you for safety so I have something to hold while we transfer." Stacy helps Steve get his legs over the side of the bed so they are dangling, she fastens a gait belt around his waist and tightens it enough so it is snug around his waist but can still get her hand through. She then slides a pair of hospital slippers on his feet.

"When you are ready I want you to slide forward so your feet are on the floor and stand slowly." Steve does as he is told; he slides forward so his feet are flat on the ground and pushes himself up after a couple seconds. "You're doing great, Steve."

Steve grabs the arm rest of the wheelchair and shuffles forward slightly with his left foot before pivoting and sitting down in the chair.

"Good job, Steve! We'll go downstairs and start some exercises to strengthen your leg. You'll be back on your feet in no time!"

Steve gives her a tight smile and closes his eyes as a wave of dizziness washes over him. It passes after about a minute.

"How's the dizziness? Nausea?"

He takes a couple deep breaths, "It's gone now. Feel ok."

"Alright you ready to go? We will keep this one on the short side since it's your first time out of bed for any length of time."

"Let's go." Steve says with a small smile.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, I spent last week packing up and moving out of my apartment while I finished up my summer class that I took. I am now done with school until August and have started my summer job again at home. Once I have my sleep schedule adjusted from getting up early for class to staying up late for work things should be much more regular. I usually don't have this much trouble adjusting. My goal is to have this fic completed and posted by June 28th but we will see how that works out.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, read, etc. It really means a lot and makes everything so much more fun.

Now for Chapter 6

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By the time Steve is done with his physical therapy session for the day he is exhausted and sweaty; but his leg is already feeling stronger, although that may be more psychological than physical, either way Steve isn't going to complain. Stacy helps him clean up a bit and change into a fresh t-shirt and pair of shorts before she helps him settle back into bed where he promptly takes a long nap. He doesn't wake up again until it's time for supper and Sarah brings in his super tray.

"Did you have a nice nap, Steve?" Sarah asks as she sets the tray down on the table and rolls it over the bed.

"Yeah, I was exhausted. What's for supper tonight?" He asks as he raises the head of his bed.

"Fish sticks, steamed mixed veggies, and red Jello." She replies. Steve makes a face. "I never would have pegged you for a picky eater." She says with a smile.

"I'm not a picky eater, it's just fish sticks? Really, they are an insult to real fish."

Sarah laughs, "I have to agree with you on that. How about I go down to the cafeteria and see if I can find something more appetizing for you if it means you'll eat it? You need to start eating more if you want to have the NG tube removed."

"I know, I just haven't been very hungry since I woke up and when I do manage to eat I usually end up getting sick."

"Is there anything that sounds appetizing that you think you can keep down?"

Steve thinks for a minute and finally decides on what his mom used to give him when he was a kid and had an upset stomach, "Maybe some yogurt, toast, and peppermint tea."

"That shouldn't be a problem; I will be back in a few minutes." Sarah takes the supper tray and leaves the room.

Sarah comes back a few minutes later with some vanilla yogurt, toast, tea, and a small can of ginger ale. Steve thanks her and manages to eat most of it before he decides his stomach can't handle any more. He feels slightly sick but he doesn't think his supper is going to make a second appearance. Steve is just pushing the table away when he hears a knock on the door and Chin and Kono enter.

"Hey, Boss! How are you feeling?" Kono greets him followed by a "Howzit Brah?" from Chin.

Steve smiles, "Hey guys, I'm good Kono. Thanks for stopping by. How are things at the office?"

"Quiet. We haven't had any new cases since you and Danny found the body."

"Did you solve that one?" Steve can't remember if they told him the details of the case or not.

Kono and Chin spend the next hour filling him in on the Jack Leung murder case. As they are wrapping up, Chin notices that Steve has a faraway look in his eyes.

"Hey, you ok Steve?" Chin doesn't get a response from Steve, instead his eyes roll back and he starts seizing.

"Kono go get the nurse!" Chin orders as he turns Steve on his side.

Much like a few days ago, two nurses enter the room but instead of Danny being pushed into the hall, Chin and Kono get pushed out.

Chin decides to call Danny and let him know what's going on. They all know this doesn't bode well for Steve and his future with Five-0 or the Navy. But they aren't going to lose hope on him.

"How's he doing?" Chin asks when Julia, Steve's night nurse, emerges from the room twenty minutes later.

"He regained consciousness after the seizure but he's sleeping right now and it is likely that he will sleep the rest of the night. Seizures like that take a lot out of the body and require a lot of sleep to recover from."

"What caused the seizure?" Kono asks.

"It's probably a result of the head trauma. Dr. Freeman ordered some more tests so hopefully we will find out more when we get the test results back. Dr. Freeman wants a MRI tonight so we will be taking him down for that as soon as we get him cleaned up."

"Can we wait up here for him to come back?"

"Of course. It will probably take a couple hours for the scan and other tests. You can wait in his room or you can come back in a bit."

"We'll wait here for him." Chin says.

Chin and Kono settle in in Steve's hospital room to wait for his return. Danny shows up a few minutes after they take Steve for the tests. It takes almost two and a half hours before Steve is brought back to his room. The trio steps out for a few minutes as they transfer Steve back to his bed and get him settled comfortably.

Julia informs them that they will get the test results back in the morning and that Dr. Freeman will go over them as soon as he gets them.

Steve is sleeping; he has a nasal cannula under his nose for oxygen again and has been changed into a hospital gown. Julia explained that his O2 sats dropped during and after the seizure so they will keep him on oxygen for the night to bring his sats back up. He also notices that Steve's NG tube is hooked up to the supplement again. Steve has lost weight since the accident, after being in a coma for 8 days and not being able to keep much down since he woke up has taken its toll on Steve's weight. Danny knows that Steve managed to eat some supper and that it stayed down fine until the seizure. Hopefully tomorrow he will manage to eat and keep it down.

They sit with Steve for an hour or so after he is brought back but he shows no signs of waking. Chin and Kono head out for the night after Danny decides that he is going to stay overnight with Steve. He falls asleep in the chair next to Steve's bed shortly after eleven and is woken up a little after two by a grunt followed by rattling. Steve is having another seizure in his sleep. Danny quickly pushes the call button and turns Steve on his side so he doesn't choke on his saliva or vomit. It only lasts for about two minutes, shorter than the last one which lasted five and half minutes according to the nurse.

The rest of the night passes quietly for Steve although Danny doesn't get much sleep after the early morning seizure. Steve was awake briefly afterwards but he wasn't really with it. Danny's worried about his friend. Dr. Freeman said earlier that just because Steve had another seizure doesn't necessarily mean that Steve has PTE, they wouldn't know until they did more extensive testing, which Steve would undergo later today. Dr. Freeman also said that the reason he may not be responding to the anticonvulsant medication because of an antibiotic that Steve is on; and unfortunately they can't stop the antibiotic for another three days. There was also a possibility that the medication wouldn't work at all. Dr. Freeman told Danny that many times PTE doesn't respond to the anticonvulsants for unknown reasons. That knowledge terrified Danny. To think that Steve may suffer uncontrollable seizures for the rest of his life made him sick.

He watches Steve sleep, he appears to be resting comfortably, he still has the nasal cannula under his nose. Danny doesn't like not knowing what Steve and the rest of the team face in the future with regards to this. If Steve does have PTE, there will be a lot of changes for Steve and Five-0, especially if they can't get the seizures under control with anticonvulsants. As long as they can get the seizures under control with medication, Steve will be able to return to Five-0 in full capacity after he is seizure free for six months. Danny hates not knowing, he'd rather know what they are dealing with, even if it is worst case scenario so they can start dealing with it instead of playing the wait and see game.

Danny must doze off for a while because next thing he knows Steve is saying his name, "Danny."

"Danny, wake up." Steve sounds a little panicked, Danny can't really blame him for being a bit panicky given the circumstances.

Danny finally is roused out of his slumber he blinks blearily at Steve. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Steve shrugs, "Ok, tired, have a headache. Why am I in a gown? What happened to my clothes? Why am I on oxygen again?"

"You had another seizure Steve-actually two more. Your oxygen saturation level dropped too low during the first seizure so the cannula is there to bring your sats back up. The nurses had to clean you up a bit after the first one so they put you in a gown."

Steve's face goes red as realization dawns on him.

"Hey, there's nothing to be embarrassed about that Steve. You can't help what your body does when you seize. It's not your fault." Steve won't meet Danny's eye. He can tell that he's still embarrassed about it. "You had the first one when Chin and Kono were here and have been sleeping ever since. Then you had another one while you were sleeping still."

"Oh." Steve says simply. Danny can't quite read the emotions on Steve's face; it's a mix of embarrassment, anger, annoyance, and something else. Danny doesn't know what to say to make Steve feel better about it, but he can understand that losing control of your bodily functions and vomiting on your self would be embarrassing, whether you can control it or not. Danny supposes that they will just have to reassure Steve that they don't see him any differently and that it's not his fault what his body does during a seizure.

Danny checks his watch, it's a little after five a.m. "Dr. Freeman is going to come by around nine and then they are going to do a bunch of tests. You should get some more sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Steve's eyes are already starting to droop. "Thanks, Danno."

Steve sleeps until Dr. Freeman arrives a few hours later, he is still tired but he makes it through all the testing. He goes through test upon test and finally arrives back in his room four hours later. He suffered another seizure during the MRI but apparently it wasn't as severe as the first two considering he came around ten minutes after it stopped. He was disoriented when he came around but was able to respond to questions by squeezing the doctor's hand; although Dr. Freeman had to repeat the question several times before he answered, Steve doesn't really remember waking up from it, he knows he was really out of it though. He's completely exhausted and all he wants to do is sleep. Dr. Freeman won't have all the results back for a couple of days so Steve still doesn't know what his future holds. When he finally is returned to his room he sleeps most of the afternoon and into the night, not even waking for supper.

He finally wakes up about eleven Danny isn't there and neither is Chin or Kono. He puts the call light on for the nurse to help him to the bathroom. He hates that he can't do it himself but he'd rather have help getting there and back than the catheter. He notices that his NG tube is hooked up to the supplement again and his IV port is connected to what he assumes is just a bag of saline to keep him hydrated while he slept all day. He is going to have to try to start eating more to get the tube out; it's uncomfortable and the sooner he is tube free the better.

It takes about five minutes for Julia to come in.

"What can I do for you, Steve?" She asks cheerfully.

"Can you help me to the bathroom please?" He asks quietly.

"Of course." She stops the IV and puts a cap on the port before helping him sit up and transfer into the wheelchair. She grabs the stand that his feeding tube is connected to and wheels it along behind him. A few minutes later Steve is settled back in bed. He is still tired but doesn't think he will be able to fall asleep again so soon.

"Can I do anything else for you, Steve?" Julie asks as she hooks his IV back up and checks his vital signs.

"Actually could I have some peppermint tea?"

"Of course, I'll be back in a few minutes." Julia leaves but returns less than ten minutes later with his tea.

Steve drinks his tea while he thinks about his current situation. He's terrified right now.

So far he has had four seizures, three in the last 24 hours, not including the one he had on the helicopter coming in. He doesn't know what he is going to do if he is diagnosed with Post-traumatic epilepsy, especially if it can't be controlled with medication. He will for sure have to take a medical discharge from the Navy and that upsets him. The Navy has been his life ever since his father shipped him away to the Army Navy Academy when he was 16 years old. While he isn't on active duty anymore, he still enjoys his reserve weekends every month and it's comforting to know that he can go back to active duty if something ever happens to Five-0. Right now, he isn't ready to completely give up his Navy career. As for Five-0, he doesn't know if he will be able to handle taking a desk job for the rest of his career if he can't go back into the field. Plus, he can't very well lead the team in the field when he's stuck behind his desk in the office.

Steve doesn't know what he is going to do if he has to deal with these seizures for the rest of his life. Danny, Chin, and Kono keep telling him they will always be there for him no matter what happens. It's a comforting thought. Other than Mary, Steve doesn't really have any family. Both sets of grandparents are long gone, his dad only had one brother who was a couple years older than him and he passed away about a year before John. His mom's sister Deb and her husband Mike are still in LA but he hasn't heard from her in a while. Last he knew, her son Luke was living in Hong Kong working as an architect and her daughter Cara was a lawyer in Portland. He knows he has some cousins on the mainland but he hasn't seen any of them since he was about ten years old. It's nice to know that he has people here who care so deeply for him, blood relation or not. He hasn't really had that since his mom died and his dad sent him and Mary away to two different places.

He glances at the clock on the wall in front of him. Its half past midnight and he's starting to get tired again. He supposes he should probably get some more sleep since he resumes physical therapy in the morning and Danny promised Grace she could finally come visit him after school. Danny says she has been begging to visit ever since she found out he was here. Steve has several of her pictures and get well cards hanging on the wall in his hospital room that Danny brought for him.

Steve sets the mug of tea on the rolling table and pushes the table off to the side of his bed while lowering the head of the bed. He manages to shift around so he's laying on his right side with a couple pillows supporting his head and neck. The c-collar makes sleeping on his side a bit uncomfortable but he has been lying on his back since this afternoon and while the scrapes and bruises along his left side and back are healing, they are still tender to pressure. He pulls a third pillow to his chest so he is hugging it with his casted left arm. His arm doesn't hurt as much anymore but it still aches from time to time and elevating it makes it feel better. It doesn't take long for him to drift into a restful sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Steve is up early for therapy the next morning. Stacy comes in a little before 8 and helps him get ready for the day before wheeling him off to the rehab wing. He does some exercises for his arm to start out and then moves on to working his leg. He spends three hours doing various exercises and stretches to get his leg back in working order.

He eats most of his lunch and is about to fall asleep when Sarah comes in and informs him that it's time to remove the stitches in his various wounds and the staples closing the incision in his scalp. Steve clumsily pulls his t-shirt off and Sarah helps Steve get comfortable on his right side so she can removes the stitches is his side and back. She also injects a mild sedative in his IV port to keep him comfortable during the procedure. Steve manages to doze off for a bit while she is working but wakes up during the staple removal. It's not really painful but a little uncomfortable, especially when she accidently pulls a few of the very short hairs out of his head along with the staple.

It takes less than an hour for Sarah to remove all 61 stitches/staples. Sarah is helping Steve get his shirt back on when he is overcome by a strange yet familiar feeling. He starts getting a tingly numb feeling throughout his body and he smells an odd odor that he can't identify.

"Sarah!" Steve is starting to feel panicky.

"Steve? What's wrong?" She asks in concern.

"Think I'm having 'nother seizure. Smell something weird, feel numb."

"Just take a deep breath, Steve. You'll be ok. Just try to stay calm. I'm right here with you." Sarah says calmly as she pushes the panic button near the head of the bed to alert other staff that she needs help in there.

Steve tries to do as Sarah instructs him but it's only a matter of seconds before Steve can't hear anything and the blackness of unconsciousness creeps up on him as his muscles tense before he starts convulsing.

Meanwhile, Sarah is getting his bed laid down flat and turning him on his side, making sure that there isn't anything on the bed that he could hurt himself on. Several of the other nurses on the unit rush in to help. The seizure lasts four minutes, one of the longer ones he has had since waking up. After the seizure stops, Steve remains deeply asleep.

Steve sleeps for nearly five hours. It is almost 6pm by the time he wakes up while Sarah is taking his vitals. She smiles and asks, "How are you feeling?" when she see that he is awake.

"Tired." He answers. He gets a panicked look on his face when he remembers that Danny was supposed to bring Grace by this afternoon. "Did Danny come? He was supposed to bring Gracie!"

"No, I called him earlier after the seizure. He said he would hold off on the visit until you woke up. He also said that it's not a problem if you aren't feeling up to company."

"I want to see them." He says firmly.

"Are you sure you feel up to it?"

"Yes."

"Alright, do you want me to call him or do you want to?"

"I'll do it." Steve says. Sarah hands him the phone and leaves the room.

Steve dials Danny's number and waits for him to pick up.

"Williams." Danny greets him.

"Hey Danny. Don't you dare ask how I am feeling." Steve is getting rather irritated by everyone constantly asking him that and he knows they will be the first words out of Danny's mouth.

It takes Danny a couple seconds to reply, "How's it going?"

"Fine. Will you stop by with Gracie? I don't want to make her wait any longer."

"You sure you're up to it? I heard you had a rough afternoon."

"Yes I'm sure, Danny."

"Alright. We'll be there in about 15 minutes."

"Thanks Danny." Steve disconnects the line and hangs the phone up on the dock. He's excited to see Grace. He hasn't seen her for over three weeks and he knows she has been begging Danny to let her visit. It will do them both good. Steve needs a distraction from everything that is happening right now and Grace will be perfect for that.

15 minutes later he hears Danny telling Grace she can't jump on Steve like she usually does when she sees him. Steve straightens up and raises the head of the bed in an attempt to look more normal when Danny and Grace actually enter the room. He takes a drink of water and runs his hand over his face and through his short hair. Since his hair is still so short he doesn't have to worry about bed head.

A couple minutes later Danny is ushering Grace into Steve's hospital room.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace runs over to the side of his bed. "Are you feeling better? Danno said you weren't feeling good earlier so we couldn't come see you."

"Hey Gracie! I'm feeling lots better, especially now that I get to see you."

Grace grinned as Danny picked her up and set her on the edge of Steve's hospital bed. Steve wraps his right arm around her and pulls her close. Grace wraps her arms around him and gives him a gentle hug.

"I made this for you." She says handing him a piece of folded paper.

The front of the paper has Get Well Soon Uncle Steve written in crayon with drawings of surfboards and waves around it. The inside has a drawing of a seal with a cape on and the Superman "S" on its chest with the words I love you SuperSEAL at the bottom.

"Thank you Gracie, this is a great drawing. Danno should hang it up with the rest of your drawings, don't you think?" Steve says grinning down at Grace.

Grace giggles and nods as she hands the picture to Danny, who obediently puts it on the bulletin board on the wall.

"Thanks Danno." Steve says.

"What's that thing on your neck, Uncle Steve?

"I broke a bone in my neck so this brace is helping it heal by keeping me from moving my neck, kind of like the cast on my arm." He holds up the casted extremity for her to see.

"What about that tube? What's that for?" She points to the NG tube coming out of his nose, taped to the side of his face.

"It helps me eat. When I was sleeping for a few days, I couldn't eat anything so they had to put that tube in so I wouldn't starve."

"But you're awake now."

"Yes, I am. But I can't eat much without getting sick because I hurt my head so I still have the tube to help when me when I don't feel like eating."

"Does it hurt?"

"A little bit but the nurse gives me medicine so it doesn't hurt much."

"When do you get to go home?"

"I don't know yet, Gracie. I still have to get a little bit better before they will let me go. But when I do get to go home you, Danno, and Chin and Kono can come over for a barbeque. How's that sound?"

"Good! Can we go swimming then?"

"Of course you can, maybe Kono can give you another surfing lesson. I won't be able to swim until all my injuries are healed though, and that might take a while."

"Ok."

"How was school today?"

"Good. I got an A on my spelling test."

"That's great, Gracie! Good job!"

"Can I sign your cast, Uncle Steve?"

"Of course. Do you have a marker?"

Grace hops off the bed and rummages through her backpack. A minute later she returns with two Sharpies, a blue one and a black one. She climbs back on the bed and settles against Steve again. He holds his arm across for her to write on.

"No looking until I'm done." Grace says.

"Looks like you got the staples out." Danny says while Grace signs her name and makes a drawing on the cast.

"I don't really remember. I think it was right before…but my mind is kind of fuzzy on it."

"Sarah and Dr. Freeman say that's normal. How'd therapy go?"

Steve shrugs slightly with his right shoulder, keeping his left still for Grace. "Ok. My leg is a little stronger but I can't move it more than a few inches when I walk...Actually it's more like a shuffle." Steve sighs in frustration. He hates the limits his body put on him.

"Steve, you know it's going to take time. You have already made a lot of progress since you woke up a few days ago. Give it a few more days and I'm sure you'll be up and around in no time."

Steve sighs again, "Yeah, I know Danny. I'm just tired of all this."

"I know, Steve. Just give it some time."

"You can look now, Uncle Steve." Grace says as she pulls her hand away from the cast.

She signed her name in her childish scrawl and then drew a small picture of a seal on a surf board next to it over the inside of his wrist.

Steve smiles, "That's a good looking seal, Gracie. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Uncle Steve. Does Danno get to sign too?"

"I don't know. Do you think I should let Danno sign it?" He asks Grace.

Grace thinks about if for a second before nodding her head. "He'll complain if you don't let him." she says matter of factly.

"Hey!" Danny exclaims indignantly.

"That's very true Gracie. I should probably let him sign so we don't have to hear him whine all day."

Steve hands Danny one of the Sharpies and lets him get to work.

Danny writes 'I heart New Jersey' in big letters under Kamekona's shave ice advertisement. Steve has to lift his arm up and twist it a bit to be able to read it.

"Really, Danny?"

Danny just smirks, Steve sighs.

"How are you really feeling, Steve?" Danny asks in concern. "You look tired."

"I just woke up from a five hour nap a few minutes I called you. I feel ok though for the most part. I still have a headache but Dr. Freeman said that is to be expected for the next couple of weeks. It's not as bad as it was a few days ago. I'm sick of being here and eating hospital food."

"You getting your appetite back?"

"A little. I'm starting to feel hungry more but I still can't eat much or I get sick."

"At least you are making progress with it. How about Grace and I go pick up some take out and bring something back for you? What do you feel like eating?"

"I don't know. How about pizza or something?"

"We can do that. I will let Sarah know we are bringing you supper. Let's go Grace. We'll be back in a bit."

Steve gets another hug from Grace before she hops off the bed and follows Danny out the door.

Steve watches them go and is glad they are coming back to eat with him. He doesn't really like being alone in the hospital. Having someone there makes it easier to deal with all the unknowns. Having Danny and Grace there with him also keeps his mind off the possibility of PTE. Since Danny left yesterday morning before Dr. Freeman took Steve for the tests, today had been the longest Steve had been left alone. He normally would enjoy his time alone, for some reason he felt vulnerable and anxious when he was alone for more than a couple hours, even when he is sleeping he notices the emptiness in his room. He's not sure, but he thinks maybe it's because when he was in the coma there was always someone here talking to him. Unless that had all been his subconscious imagination. Steve makes a note to ask Danny about it later.

Danny and Grace return about forty five minutes later with a pizza from Ailani's that is half ham and pineapple for Steve and Grace and half pepperoni for Danny.

"Look what else we brought you, Uncle Steve." Grace says holding up a smoothie from Steve's favorite smoothie place. "It's strawberry mango!"

"Thank you, Gracie! Strawberry mango is my favorite." Steve pulled the rolling table up and set the smoothie on it. Grace crawled back up onto his bed and settled in beside him. They ate their pizza and watched a Yankee's game on TV. Steve managed to eat a slice and a half of pizza and drink most of the smoothie before calling it good. Grace fell asleep cuddled up next to Steve during the game.

"Thanks for this, Danny. I really needed it."

"You're welcome."

Steve settles into his pillows with an arm wrapped around Grace. "Hey Danny?" Steve says softly.

"Yeah Steve?"

"When I was in the coma, was one of you always here talking to me?"

Danny looks at Steve in surprise. "You remember that? One of us was almost always here with you."

Steve angles his body a bit so he can see Danny better. "Yeah, I think so. I wasn't sure if I was imagining that or not. I could tell when I was alone and when there was someone here. I could hear you talking too. I couldn't always understand what was being said but I could always hear it...It made me feel safe."

"We would come sit with you whenever we were allowed to. We would talk to you or read the newspaper or a magazine out loud. The nurses told us that it might help you wake up and come back to us."

"It did, Danno, it did." Steve is silent for a few minutes. "And for the record, as soon as I'm completely healed, we're going hiking again. You said you would."

"You must have dreamt that part. I don't recall saying that."

"Liar." Steve says with a smirk.

"You have to get out of here first." Danny says.

"Working on it, Danno." Steve says as his eyes drifted shut.

"I know buddy, and you're doing good. I'm gonna take Grace home for the night, but we'll be back tomorrow."

"Kay. Night Danno." Steve is almost asleep before Danny is even out the door.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

I decided to post 2 chapters this week since I making good progress with writing. I have the weekend off so I hope to get another chapter or two written and then the next chapter will be posted the beginning of next week hopefully.

**Chapter 8**

Danny and Grace come the next morning with pancakes and another all fruit smoothie for Steve for breakfast. Steve eats three of them, glad to have something other than mushy oatmeal and powdered eggs.

They stay with Steve until it is time for him to go for therapy with the promise to return in the afternoon when he is done with his physical therapy for the day.

Steve pushes himself to get his leg moving again during therapy. He is sitting on the floor with Stacy doing some exercises for his leg.

He is so focused on his therapy that he doesn't notice the odd feeling he gets before another seizure takes him. Steve suddenly tenses up and falls sideways as a seizure overtakes him.

Stacy is by his side immediately turning him on his side and yelling for someone to get a nurse and a doctor. Another of the physical therapists rushes over with a cushion to put under Steve's head to keep him from hitting it on the floor.

Steve stops seizing a couple minutes after the doctor and nurse arrive. They get him on a gurney and take him back to his room.

Danny and Grace return shortly after lunch time that afternoon to find Steve sound asleep in bed; he doesn't even stir when Grace calls out 'Uncle Steve!' as she enters before either of them realize he is sleeping.

"Grace, why don't you sit here with Uncle Steve and color him a new picture. I'm going to go talk to his nurse."

"Ok, Danno." Danny steps out after getting Grace settled with her crayons and notepad.

"Hey, Sarah, how's Steve doing?"

"He had a bit of a rough morning during therapy."

"He seized again didn't he?" Danny asks before Sarah can continue.

Sarah nods, "He did. He was sitting on the floor doing some exercises when it happened. They brought him back here after it stopped. He was awake briefly when we transferred him from the gurney to his bed but he wasn't completely with it. He's been sleeping ever since."

"When will Dr. Freeman have his test results back? This is his sixth seizure since he woke up and fifth in the last day and a half."

"Dr. Freeman should be by later this afternoon with the test results after Steve wakes up. Hopefully he will have a better idea of what to do to help Steve and stop the seizures."

"Alright, thank you. My daughter and I will be sitting with him for a while."

"Ok, If Dr. Freeman comes by while the two of you are still here, you can send Grace out here and I'll watch her for you while the two of you talk to Dr. Freeman, unless Steve doesn't want you in there. But a little girl like her doesn't need to hear all this medical speak right now, it will probably just scare her."

Danny nods, "If Steve is going to have these seizures for the rest of his life he and I will sit Grace down and explain it to her so she can understand. But you're right; it will just scare her right now."

"That's the best thing to do. I'll let you get back to Steve and Grace. Let me know when he comes around."

In Steve's room, Grace is sitting quietly by his bed drawing him a picture. Steve is still sound asleep in the same position he was in when Danny first entered. He sits down next to Grace.

"What are you drawing, Monkey?"

"Me and Uncle Steve building a sandcastle. Do you think he'll like it?"

"I'm sure he will love it, Gracie. You can show it to him as soon as he wakes up if it's done by then."

Danny and Grace sit quietly for the next hour and a half. Grace continues to draw pictures while Danny leafs through a Sports Illustrate magazine. Danny's attention is torn away from the magazine when he hears a soft groan from the figure lying on the bed.

"Hey, Steve? You awake?" Danny asks as he sets the magazine aside and grabs Steve's hand.

Steve's eyes flutter and Danny is greeted by half mast hazel-blue eyes.

"Grace, go get Sarah and let her know Steve is awake."

Grace nods and is out the door in seconds.

"Did I have another seizure?" Steve asks Danny.

"Yeah, when you were down at PT. How are you feeling?"

"Stiff and sore. Got a killer headache."

"Sarah will be here in a minute. She said Dr. Freeman is going to come by in a bit with the test results."

Sarah and Grace return a minute later.

"How are you feeling, Steve?" Sarah asks as she checks his vital signs.

"Ok."

Sarah gave him a look as if to say 'tell me the truth.'

"I'm stiff and sore all over, I have a headache, and my neck hurts more than it has since I woke up."

"On a scale of 1-10 how bad is the pain in your neck?" Sarah asks.

"8 maybe a 9, before it was just stiff with a dull ache that was more annoying than painful."

"It's possible that you aggravated it during the seizure. Dr. Freeman is on his way with your test results. He will also take a look at your neck and probably want another x-ray of it. In the mean time I'm going to give you something to make you a little more comfortable."

"I don't want to be knocked out." Steve states firmly.

"Don't worry its non-narcotic. It won't make you sleepy." Sarah says as she readies a syringe and injects the contents into the IV port on the inside of his right arm.

It doesn't take more than a minute or two for Steve to start to feel relief. Steve sags into his pillows just as Dr. Freeman knocks and enters the room carrying a folder.

"How are you feeling, Steve?"

"Better now. My neck still hurts though, but not as bad as a few minutes ago."

"I just administered another dose of pain medication." Sarah informs Dr. Freeman. "When he woke he was complaining that his neck hurt more than it has since he woke up. I suspect he aggravated it during this morning's seizure."

"Let's take a look shall we? You shouldn't be experiencing this level of pain so long after your injury." Dr Freeman says as he sets the folder down on the bedside table. "Steve, I am going to have you turn on your side and remove the c-collar so I can feel your neck, Amy will hold your head still but try not to move."

Dr. Freeman lowers the head of the bed enough so Steve is lying mostly flat. Steve rolls onto his side and Amy holds his head in a firm but gentle grasp while Dr. Freeman removes the c-collar and carefully palpates along Steve's cervical vertebrae from the base of his head down.

"Argh!" Steve exclaims as Dr. Freeman gently palpates the tender spot.

"That's where the pain is? Anywhere else?"

"No, just that spot."

"You certainly did aggravate your previous injury but to what extent, I cannot tell without an x-ray. The tenderness is located at the C6 level where your fracture is." Dr. Freeman explains as he secures the c-collar around Steve's neck again. "I'm going to order a new set of x-rays and an MRI for your neck. Amy will you go call the radiology department and let them know?"

"Of course Doctor." Amy helps Steve get settled on his back again before leaving the room.

"Steve, I want you to stay in this position until we get the x-rays back to reduce the risk of further aggravation to your neck and spine. Are you able to wiggle your toes and fingers normally?"

"Yea, everything else feels ok, aside from being stiff." Steve wiggles his toes and fingers as he says it.

"Good. We won't know until I see the MRI images but it doesn't appear that you suffered any trauma to your spinal cord."

"Alright. I was wearing the brace during the seizure. How did my neck get injured again?"

"While the c-collar does a good job of keep you from moving your neck, there is unfortunately some give to it. When you have a seizure, your muscles tense up extremely tight causing strong movements. My best guess is that the seizure you had this morning caused you to move your head enough in the confines of the collar that you disturbed the healing of the broken vertebra and maybe even worsened the fracture. You also could have hit your head or neck hard enough when you fell that you jarred the all ready weakened vertebra."

"Is there anything that can be done so that it won't happen again if I have another seizure?"

"We can put you in a different style c-collar that is more restricting. The new collar will be more rigid and it will go a little farther down your chest than this one does. It will restrict the movement of your head and neck but not the movement of you back."

"Sarah said you had the results from my tests back."

Dr. Freeman nods, "I got all the results last night and have spent the entire morning analyzing them to formulate a diagnosis." He pauses and picks up the folder, leafing through it until he finds what he is looking for. Danny and Steve are both holding their breath, hearts racing. Danny slides his hand into Steve's and gives it a squeeze as they wait for the verdict.

TBC

That was an evil cliffhanger I know. But i had to end this chapter somewhere.


	9. Chapter 9

Here is chapter 9. I managed to get a chapter and a half written over the weekend. I am now part way through Chapter 13. I am going to try to get it wrapped up in the next few chapters. I am going on vacation in two weeks and won't have internet access for about two and a half weeks. I want to try to get it all finished before I leave because I don't want to leave you all hanging for almost three weeks while I am gone but I also don't want to rush the story and degrade the quality.

Also I want to thank everyone who reads, reviews, or pm's. Reading the reviews make my day and give me more motivation to write.

Without further ado, here is the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 9

"I'm sorry to inform you that you do in fact have Post-traumatic epilepsy."

Steve sucks in a deep breath and closes his eyes. Danny squeezes his hand tighter. Steve and Danny have both gone a shade paler.

After a minute or so, Steve finally asks, "So what now?"

"We will continue to alter your dose of anticonvulsants until we determine the correct dose or if the anticonvulsants are therapeutic. If one drug doesn't work, we will try another or a combination of medications. Right now, one of the antibiotics you are on may be impairing the anticonvulsants effectiveness. Tomorrow we will be able to discontinue that and hopefully see some improvement. It may be a couple months before we find the right dose or combination."

"What if medication doesn't work?" Danny asks.

"If the seizures aren't controlled after a combination of three medications, we can try alternative means. Ketogenic diets or modified Atkins diest have been shown to be effective in reducing the occurrence of the seizures. We can try either diet. Also, you will need to keep track of how often, what time of the day, and how long you have seizures. Tracking seizures can help us to figure out if there are triggers and then formulate a plan to avoid the triggers."

"What's a ketogenic diet?" Danny inquires.

"A ketogenic diet is a high fat low carbohydrate diet. It forces the body to burn fat instead of sugar. Many patients have had good results with this type of diet. You will have to work closely with a dietician in order to maintain a healthy ketogenic diet."

"Is surgery an option?" Steve asks.

"Unfortunately, surgery is not generally effective in treating PTE. Very few cases of surgical treatment have been effective."

"How long until we know if it can be controlled?"

"It could take weeks or months to find an effective treatment."

"Will I be able to go back to work?"

"Right now it's too soon to say. You will definitely be able to work from a desk but as for field work we will have to see. You will have to be seizure free for six months before you can be cleared for field work and driving."

Steve sighed heavily, not doing a very good job of hiding his frustration.

"I know this is a daunting diagnosis, Steve. But with time and proper management you will be able to live a relatively normal life, it may not be the same life you had but you can still have a fulfilling life. And you probably won't always have seizures as often as you have had in the last day or so."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You had the first seizure three days after you woke up and didn't have another until two days later when you have had five seizures in less than two days. We call seizures that occur so close together cluster seizures. It's very possible that you may go two, three ,or even four days-possibly even more-seizure free and then suddenly have a several within a few days."

"But they'll never stop completely?"

"It is unlikely that the epilepsy will go away but if we find a drug or drug combination that works we may be able to wean you off the medication after 5 years of being seizure free, however you may need to go right back on the medication right away. Some people don't have any more seizures while others do. You should be prepared to take the medication for the rest of your life."

Before Steve or Danny can ask any more questions, Sarah returns and informs them that radiology is ready for Steve.

"Alright Steve, I will accompany you down to radiology for your MRI. Danny you can wait here, we shouldn't be too long. If either of you have more questions, just let me know. I will leave this folder of pamphlets and literature here for the both of you."

"Danny, take Gracie home or to the beach, she doesn't need to be hanging around the hospital all afternoon."

"Steve-"

"I'll be fine, Danny. Go do something fun with Gracie before you have to take her back to Rachel."

"Fine, but I'm coming back this evening after I drop her off."

"Ok." Steve says as a couple orderlies enter to wheel him down to the radiology department.

-H50-

It doesn't take more than an hour for the MRI and x-rays. Dr. Freeman confirms that during the seizure Steve undid what healing had already taken place and worsened the fracture, what started out as a small crack in the vertebra was now a full blown break. He fits Steve with a new c-collar that is more restrictive and a little less comfortable, not that the original was that comfortable. The old collar stopped at his collar bones, the front of the new one goes down farther so it covers part of his sternum and it goes a little higher on the back of his head than the first one. Dr. Freeman also tells Steve that he will have to wear the c-collar for 10-12 weeks now instead of the original 6-8.

When Steve gets back to his room, he is emotionally and physically exhausted but sleep won't come. His mind is racing with thoughts of how his life has changed. He really hopes that they will be able to find a drug or drug combination that will control the seizures so he will be able to return to Five-0 in full capacity. Steve isn't sure how well he will handle having to ride a desk for the rest of his career or being unable to drive. He thinks as long as he can return to Five-0 in full capacity, he will be able to deal with the PTE better and also with no longer being in the Navy. Dr. Freeman sat down with him after he got back from radiology and discussed some of the things Steve won't be able to do alone as long as the seizures are uncontrolled. He's no longer able to go for his morning swims, not that he would be able to anyway with a broken neck. Freeman said that after his neck heals he will be able to go for a swim as long as he has someone who is a strong swimmer swimming with him, just in case he suffers a seizure in the water.

He's angry and maybe even a little depressed that his Navy career is over. Even if his Epilepsy can be controlled with medications, he will have to take a medical discharge as he will be considered unfit for duty. Steve thinks it's a little ironic that with all the times he had been injured while with the SEALs he never ended up with any lasting damage and now that he is no longer on active duty he ends up with a career ending injury because of a climbing accident.

Steve lays back and tries to sleep but it won't come. He can feel tears welling up in his eyes as he thinks about all the changes that lay ahead of him. He squeezes his eyes shut to keep the tears from falling. He isn't sure if he wants to stay with Five-0 if he can no longer be in the field. He doesn't know what else he would do though. His entire adult life has been spent engaging in dangerous situations that require him to be in tip top shape and be 100 percent healthy. Even when he was in Naval Intelligence most of his work was "in the field", he doesn't think he has many skills that would be useful for a regular civilian job behind a desk.

He frustrated with his body. His entire adult life he has taken care of his body, exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. Even when he was a kid he was always active and his mom made sure he and Mary ate healthy. For his body to betray him like this is extremely frustrating to Steve.

Steve can feel himself getting worked up which only serves to tense the muscles in his shoulders and neck, exacerbating the pain in his neck. He makes an effort to calm himself down. Steve tries several meditation techniques to calm down and relax his muscles. He manages to clear his mind and spends the next hour meditating until Danny comes back.

It's nearly 8 when Danny shows up again.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Danny says as he enters.

"Fine."

"Right. What did Freeman say about your neck?"

"Refractured what had already started to heal. Have to wear this damn thing for probably 3 months."

"Shit, Steve. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault, Danny."

"I know, but I can still be sorry."

"Did you tell Chin and Kono?"

Danny shakes his head, "No, I didn't know if you would want me to yet. They are on their way over though."

"Ok."

"You look, tired. Did you get any sleep this afternoon?"

"Not really. Dozed off for a while during the MRI because of the drugs they gave me before. What did you and Gracie end up doing?" Steve changes the subject.

"We went to beach for a while. She built a sand castle and then we got shave ice. She was asking questions about your injuries but I haven't told her anything about the seizures or epilepsy yet. I thought you would maybe want to talk to her about it and tell her what you want her to know. You'd be able to answer her questions better than I could. You know how Grace is with questions."

"Yeah, she's a curious one. When do you have her again?"

"Wednesday through Sunday. Rachel and Stan are going to the Big Island for the weekend because Stan is building a new hotel there."

"I'll explain it to her then if you don't mind bringing her by. I don't know how much longer I'm gonna be here. Dr. Freeman said it depends on how quickly I progress with therapy."

There is a knock at the door and Chin and Kono enter together, "Hey Brah." "Hi, Boss!" They say at the same time.

"Hey guys." Steve greets them.

"How are you doing?" Chin asks.

Steve heaved a sigh; he was unbelievably tired of everyone asking that. "I'm doing ok."

"What's with the new neck wear, Boss?" Kono asks when she notices the white collar with blue pads rather than the gray one he had last time she saw him.

"Had another seizure this morning and undid the healing of the vertebra. The doc gave me a more restrictive collar so it hopefully won't happen again."

"That's rough brah."

Steve takes a deep breath, "Dr. Freeman also got all my test results back…He says I have Post-traumatic Epilepsy."

The room is silent for a few minutes before Kono speaks, "So what does this mean for you, Boss?"

"We are going to try to find a drug or drug combination that will control the seizures. I can't drive or swim until the seizures are controlled. If I'm seizure free for six months, I'll be able to return to Five-0 in full capacity, if not, then I'm on desk duty indefinitely."

"And what about the Navy?" Asks Chin.

"I'll be medically discharged. Even if the seizures can be controlled, I won't be considered fit for duty."

"How much longer are they going to keep you here?"

"I don't know yet. I won't be released until I'm mobile again. According to Stacy, I'm making progress but it could still be a couple weeks before I'm outta here. Anything big going on at the office?"

They can all tell Steve wants to stop talking about his injuries and the changes he faces in the future. "Not really. We haven't caught any new cases since you were injured. We helped HPD out with a drug raid yesterday and that's about all."

"Sounds exciting." Steve says around a yawn.

"We should get out of your hair and let you sleep. You look really tired." Chin says as he stands to leave. Kono and Danny follow in suit.

"We will be by again tomorrow sometime." Kono says.

"Alright, thanks guys. See ya tomorrow."

"Night, Brah."

"You need anything before we go?" Danny asks.

"I'm good."

"Ok. I'll be back tomorrow sometime."

"Night, Danno. Kono."

Steve settles in to sleep as his friends leave the room. He lays there trying to fall asleep for nearly half an hour but he can't seem to get comfortable. The pain meds he took earlier have apparently worn off, as his neck hurts almost as bad as it did when he woke up. He pushes the call button for the nurse to see if he can have more pain meds.

It takes less than five minutes for Julie, the night nurse to come in. She gives him another shot of pain medication that will also help him sleep. Julie also helps him adjust his pillows and get in a more comfortable position. It doesn't take long for him to drift off after that. Steve hopes that tomorrow is a better day than today was.

TBC

* * *

**You all probably hate me for that...I'm too mean to poor Steve but the muse wouldn't let this idea go. I'll put him back together as much as I can eventually.**


	10. Chapter 10

My apologies for this being late, I decided to add to it after I thought I had it finished. I am unfortunately not going to meet my goal of having this done before my vacation. I have been busier than I thought I would be with work and now I have kissed my three day weekend goodbye because we are shorthanded at work due to one person quitting and another out for back surgery so I told my boss I would come in for a few hours Saturday and Sunday. I hope to still get a lot of writing in though as I won't be working full shifts.

I will for sure get at least one more chapter up before I leave in a week and I hope to be able to post one chapter while I am gone. I should have internet access the first five days of my vacation so hopefully I can get a chapter up. The last 10 days I will be staying with relatives and it is unlikely that I will have internet access there.

Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. A fair warning, Steve has a potty mouth again in this one but its only a couple swear words.

**Chapter 10**

Steve is up early for therapy the next day. He spends most of the morning working on walking with the parallel bars. He is able to take small shuffling steps but his right foot drags with each step forward, he can't manage to lift it high enough to completely clear the floor; his broken arm makes it even more difficult because he can't use it much for support. After two hours, Steve is done with physical therapy for now. He gets a break for lunch and manages to take a short half hour nap before he has speech therapy for an hour. His speech has greatly improved over the last few days but it's still slow and occasionally slurred but at least now he doesn't sound like a child with a speech impediment. After his speech therapy session he has another short PT session to work his arm. His arm isn't back to a hundred percent yet but he is slowly getting there, tasks like eating or shaving don't exhaust all his strength anymore.

Over the past few days Steve hasn't been able to spend as much time as he would have liked in PT because of the seizures. He is really hoping that he will make it through today without one. Each time he has another seizure it takes away precious time that he could be using for therapy. He hasn't even left the hospital and he is already irritated with the way the seizures interrupt his life.

Danny stops by late in the afternoon just after Steve arrives back to his room from his last therapy session for the day. Danny enters to find Steve and Stacy slowly walking from the bathroom to the bed. He can see Steve's legs shaking with the exertion. Stacy has her hand looped through the gait belt that is fastened around Steve's waist. Steve is leaning on a walker as he shuffles along. The walker has been modified with an arm rest extension on the left side for him to rest his broken arm on; it makes it easier for him to support himself with the casted extremity.

"Looking good, Babe!" Danny says. He is thrilled to see Steve finally making progress.

Steve completely ignores him as he concentrates on making it to the bed where Stacy helps him get situated. She puts the walker in the corner of the room where it will be out of the way as she tells Steve that she will see him tomorrow before leaving. Steve leans back on the bed in exhaustion; he can feel the muscles in his legs twitching from the exertion.

"It's great to see you up and about."

"Well I'm up but I wouldn't really say about." Steve's tone is bitter.

"Still, you are making progress." Danny consoles.

"I feel like a 90 year old man, Danny, shuffling along with a walker, needing help with everything." Steve is getting angry now.

"Hey, Steve. Calm down! You'll be walking around without assistance in no time. You just need to be patient."

"Danny, I have been patient since I woke up! My patience is running thin! I work my ass off in therapy and have hardly gotten any results! Every time I have another fucking seizure I'm out for half a day and it just puts off my recovery that much more each time! I'm sick of it! I just want to get better and go home!"

Danny was shocked by Steve's outburst but at the same time he was amazed that it hadn't come sooner. For Steve to blow up like this is rare, he generally keeps his emotions close to his chest. When he does get angry it's usually a very controlled anger, not an explosion like Danny.

"Hey! Calm down, Steve, before you give yourself another seizure." Danny commands. Steve's seizures, according to Dr. Freeman, have all been unprovoked but Freeman said that an increase in stress can trigger seizures. He also gave Steve a whole list of other things that can trigger seizures.

Steve leans back and takes a deep breath. He knows Danny is right and getting worked up isn't going to do anything to help him.

After Steve has visibly calmed down Danny speaks, "Look, Steve, I know you are frustrated with everything and I know you want nothing more than to get out of here and go back to living your life the way you have for the last year but we both know that isn't going to happen any time soon."

"Or won't happen at all." Steve grumps.

"You can't think like that, Steve. There is still a possibility that you can return to having pretty much the same life you had before if they can find a medication that works. You need to think positive."

"Dr. Freeman also said PTE doesn't always respond to drugs, and so far it hasn't."

"It's barely been three weeks since you fell, Steve. Less than two since you woke up. Dr. Freeman said it will take time to find the correct dose; plus until today you were on an antibiotic that could have been interfering with the medication. You just have to give it time Steve. Try not to think about the seizures and concentrate on your rehab."

"It's hard not to think about the seizures, Danny." Steve says softly. "It's always looming in the back of my mind and I'm constantly watching out for the warning signs; sometimes I will get an odd feeling or smell something weird and I get myself convinced that it's one of the auras I sometimes get before a seizure starts and then it never comes…I hate this Danny."

It amazes Danny that Steve is being this open about his feelings but then he remembers that Steve is still suffering side effects from the head injury. Dr. Freeman said the small personality changes that Steve is experiencing are more than likely just temporary.

"I know you hate this, Steve. I do too, believe me. But you need to try not to dwell on it; it will only make it worse."

Danny and Steve sit quietly for a few minutes. Steve has his eyes closed and does his best to ignore Danny's presence. Nothing is said until Sarah enters the room. She knows Steve isn't asleep because she heard the altercation between the two men from the hallway.

"What do you say we get rid of the NG tube, Steve?"

"I'll wait outside." Danny says as he stands.

Steve still hasn't said anything but he did open his eyes to look at Sarah.

Sarah unpins the tube from his t-shirt and gently peels the clear tape that holds the tube to his face away as she explains to him what is going to happen. She takes a syringe of saline and flushes the tube before pulling the tube out. Steve gags a bit as the end comes out of his throat but Sarah manages to remove it without much trouble.

"How are you feeling?" She asks.

Steve gives a one shouldered shrug, "Ok I guess. Throat's a bit sore now. I'm tired."

"Your sore throat will go away in a couple hours. Supper trays will be here in a few minutes, I think its roast beef tonight."

"Great."

Sarah takes his vitals and checks him over before leaving. It's obvious that Steve isn't feeling up to social interaction right now. They have been monitoring for signs of depression in the last few days and it is pretty clear that Steve is depressed. Depression is common after a diagnosis like Steve's, and the fact that he is still suffering effects to the head injury isn't helping any. Dr. Freeman has been contemplating starting Steve on an antidepressant medication but he wanted to wait to see how severe it is and if he can pull out of this funk in a few days without one.

Steve ignores Danny when he enters again by pretending to be asleep. He is in need of some alone time but hasn't had more than a few minutes to himself at a time in the last few days. Usually he is either with his therapist or else Danny, Chin, or Kono are all here. Steve is starting to feel smothered by all the attention he is getting from Danny and the team.

Danny sits by Steve's bedside and silently watches as his partner and best friend pretends to be asleep. Steve's breathing isn't regular enough to be asleep and the furrowed brow is a dead give-away. After several long minutes Danny decides to leave for a while and give Steve some space.

"I'm gonna go home for the night, Steve. I'll be back sometime tomorrow." Danny says quietly as he heads for the door.

Danny hears a quiet, almost whispered thank you from Steve before the door closes. Danny sends out a text to Chin and Kono to let them know that Steve needs some time to himself and not to come visit until tomorrow.

Steve opens his eyes now that Danny is gone. He feels like a jerk for ignoring him to the point that Danny decided to leave but he can't help but feel relief at finally being alone for a while.

Steve thinks it's funny, he's woken up alone numerous times in hospitals before when he was injured on missions and never really had any regular visitors unless is team hadn't been reassigned yet; and now that he has people who care about him enough to come spend time with him in the hospital and has a support system for the rehab, he just wants time to himself. When he was in the hospital after missions, often in a remote place in some small country or at a military base overseas, he'd always long for his dad or Catherine or even Mary to be able to visit him and help him through it but no one was ever able to or allowed to come. Catherine was able to spend a day with him in a hospital in Africa once when the Enterprise was in port for a day but at the time he wasn't really able to converse. He'd been shot several times and had numerous other injuries; he was so doped up on painkillers that he hardly even realized she was there.

His thoughts are interrupted when the aide brings in his supper tray. Steve raises the head of his bed so he is sitting more upright and looks at the food before him. It actually doesn't look too bad today. Its roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans that don't look over cooked. He also got a small plate of strawberry shortcake. Even though, it looks like one of the most edible meals he's been served since he came into the hospital, he still doesn't really feel like eating at the moment. He knows he should though since he finally got the feeding tube removed and he still is underweight. Steve manages to eat a little over half of the meat and potatoes plus all of the green beans and the shortcake before calling it quits.

Steve is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he now has epilepsy. He's angry and just wants his life to go back to normal. He knows that isn't possible though. His life will never be the same again, he will have to adjust his way of life and his exercise regimen and follow a strict medication schedule. Plus he won't have to fulfill his obligations to the Navy as a reservist. Steve enjoys his monthly reserve weekends; it feels good to go back to the structured way of life in the Navy every now and then. He likes getting away for a bit and spending time with people like him, people who don't question his military mentality they way Danny does. As much as Steve loves Danny and no matter how close of friends they are, Danny will never understand certain parts of Steve's personality.

Steve's thoughts are interrupted when Dr. Freeman enters the room.

"How are you feeling Steve?" Dr. Freeman asks as he picks up Steve's chart and starts paging through it.

"Ok."

It doesn't take more than a glance for the doctor to figure out that Steve is lying and is in a poor mood.

"Ok, how about this, is your head bothering you?"

Steve realizes Dr. Freeman isn't going to accept is platitudes for answers. He heaves a sigh before answering. "No, not really, it's just a dull headache."

"What about your neck?"

"It's throbbing."

Dr. Freeman nods, he expects Steve to have some pretty severe pain in his neck for a few days. "Do you have any pain anywhere else?"

"No just my neck. My arm hasn't hurt for several days and the bruises only hurt if they are touched." Steve's scrapes from the fall are pretty much healed up but he still has some deep bruises in a few places that hurt when pressure is applied to them.

"Good, how are you doing mentally and emotionally? Sarah tells me you sent Danny away."

"I didn't send him away," Steve says defensively. "I just wanted some alone time and didn't feel like having Danny around telling me that everything will be ok, so I pretended to be asleep until he decided to leave. I'm sick of everyone telling me it will be ok. They don't know that."

Freeman nods, "That's understandable. You have a lot to deal with right now."

Nothing is said for a few minutes while Dr. Freeman takes Steve's blood pressure and makes notations in the chart. Steve's blood pressure is a little high right now but the doctor isn't surprised considering Steve is worked up.

"Doc, what are the chances that the seizures will be able to be controlled with the meds?" Steve asks suddenly.

Freeman considers the question before answering, making sure to word his answer carefully. "Honestly, I can't give you a solid answer to that Steve. There are so many variables involved, not to mention there isn't a ton of research devoted to PTE. The fact that you didn't have a penetrating head injury works in your favor to the meds working. Right now my best guess is 50/50. Just because we haven't found a medication that works yet, doesn't mean we won't. Sometimes it takes a couple months to get the dose right. Don't get discouraged yet."

Steve takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He tries to nod after momentarily forgetting about the restricting brace around his neck. His emotions are all over the place right now so he just mutters, "ok."

"Now in the mean time, why don't we do something about the pain?" He takes a syringe and vile out of his lab coat pocket. "This might make you sleepy but you could use the extra rest right now." Dr. Freeman says as he fills the syringe before injecting it into the IV port in Steve's right arm.

It doesn't take long for the painkiller to take effect and for Steve to be pain free. Less than ten minutes after Dr. Freeman leaves Steve is deeply asleep, resting comfortably.

TBC

Your reviews and PMs make my day and motivate me to write more :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Once again, I want to thank everyone who is reading this story and keeping with it, especially the ones who take the time to leave a review. **

**A/N: I realized as I was working on Chapter 14 that I screwed up the timeline of this story. I apparently can't count or add as I made 9+3=15, not 12. Last chapter Danny stated that its been 3 weeks since Steve got hurt. It is really more like 2 and a half weeks, not that that is really that important but it might help clarify things later on. **

**Insomnia has never been so good to me. I have managed to write two more chapters in the last few days when I have been unable to fall asleep at night.  
**

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**Chapter 11**

Danny comes to see Steve the next afternoon. Steve is in a slightly better mood than he was the night before, he is still depressed but he isn't in a foul mood. He got a good night's sleep and is finally starting to feel better than he has been. His headache is down to a level that he can pretty much ignore it. His neck still aches but it isn't as painful as it was the day before and he hasn't had a seizure since the one he had during physical therapy two days ago.

Steve is sitting up in a chair by the window when Danny walks in. "You look like you're feeling better."

Steve smiles at Danny as he turns his whole upper body to see him, "Yeah, I am. Danny, I'm sorry for being a jerk last night."

"Hey, it's alright Steve. I know how you are, you don't have to apologize. I'm sorry we were crowding you."

"It's not your fault Danny. I was just overwhelmed with everything and didn't handle it very well."

This is the best mood Danny has seen Steve in since he woke up. He's glad to see that Steve is finally starting to feel better.

Danny takes a seat in the empty chair next to Steve. Steve adjusts his position in the chair so he can see Danny better.

"Mary called this morning." Steve says out of the blue.

"Shit. I kinda forgot to call her. She probably doesn't have a clue what happened." Danny feels guilty for forgetting about the only living relative Steve has.

"It's all right Danny. We aren't exactly close and she wouldn't have handled it very well if she'd have known I was in a coma. It's better for her to find out now that I'm awake."

Danny nods but he still feels guilty, he knows Steve is right. Mary wouldn't have handled the news very well at all. Steve told Danny about her substance abuse problems and about how she is trying to get straightened out. She probably would have started using or drinking heavily again if he'd have called her right after the accident. "How's she doing?"

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her. She left a voicemail on my phone when I was downstairs for therapy, haven't called her back yet."

"Did she say anything in the message?"

"Not really, just that she wanted to say hi and check in on me because we haven't talked in a while. I think the last time we talked was when I called her a week or two before I got hurt."

"Why haven't you called her back yet?"

Steve gives a small shrug. "I don't know. I guess I don't really want her to know everything that's happened. She's been clean for 6 months now and she's cut back on the drinking but hasn't stopped completely. I'm just afraid this will scare her or stress her out and push her over the edge again."

"Steve, she's your sister. She deserves to know what's going on with you."

"I know. I just don't want to ruin her progress. I don't want to be the one who causes her to start using again."

"I get that Steve. But epilepsy isn't exactly something you can hide from her, especially if she comes back to the islands."

"If the meds work I won't have a problem hiding it."

Danny sighs, "You should tell her, Steve. You're pretty much out of danger, now it's just a matter of controlling the seizures. Just call her, tell her what happened and that you are ok, and then explain the PTE to her and what happens next. Just make sure you reassure her that you are ok and are recovering well. It's all you can do, Steve. But she deserves to know. Besides she's grown up a bit in the last few months."

"Yeah, she has. She's trying really hard to get her life straightened out now."

"You need to tell her. Give her a call, I'll stay if you want, otherwise I'll go down to the cafeteria and get some coffee for a while."

"Stay. My phone is on the night stand, can you grab if for me?"

Danny grabs the iPhone and hands it to Steve. He watches in silence as Steve dials Mary's number and waits for her to answer.

Steve is about to hang up when Mary finally answers.

"Hey Mare." Steve greets her.

"_Steve! How's it going?"_

"It's ok. Sorry I missed your call earlier. I was a bit busy."

"_It's ok. I just called to catch up. We haven't talked for a while. You got a new case that's taking up all your time?"_

"Um not really." Steve says a bit nervously.

"_What's wrong, Steve?" Mary catches the change in her big brother's voice right away. Nervous isn't a tone often heard in Steve's voice._

"I had a bit of an accident a few weeks ago. I'm still in the hospital."

"_Oh my God! What happened? Are you ok?"_

"I'm ok. I took Danny hiking to the petroglyphs, we found a body on a ledge. I climbed down to check it out and on the way back up a rock came loose. It hit me on the head and I fell about 40 feet. I broke my arm and a vertebra in my neck. I also had bleeding on my brain and had to have surgery to stop it." It all comes out in a rush. Steve didn't mean to say it like that but he is relieved its over.

"_You had BRAIN SURGERY? Why was I not informed of this?"_

Steve pulls the phone away from his ear when she starts yelling. It causes his headache to spike. "Mary, calm down! I'm ok now! Yes, I had surgery but I'm doing ok and I'm getting better every day. But will you please not yell? I still have a headache and you yelling just makes it worse."

"_Sorry." Mary's voice immediately quiets, "If this all happened a few weeks ago why are you still in the hospital?"_

"I had some complications, Mare, from the surgery. I was in a coma for eight days and when I woke up I had some weakness on my right side. I also had a few seizures after I woke up. That's why I have been here for nearly three weeks." Steve decides not to mention the speech problems he had. His speech is pretty much back to normal, it is still a little slower than normal but not enough for people to really take notice of it.

"_Seizures_?"

"Yeah. I've had six I think since I woke up." Steve takes a deep breath and drops the bomb, "My neurologist says I have Post-traumatic Epilepsy."

"_You have epilepsy?" Mary's voice is barely a whisper._

"Yeah, but Dr. Freeman thinks there is a good chance they can control the seizures with medications so I will hopefully be able to have a relatively normal life."

"_God Steve. I'm so sorry. Will you still be able to work?"_

"If the meds work and stop the seizures, I'll be able keep running Five-0 in full capacity but no matter what I'll be discharged from the Navy."

"_Oh Steve." It was all Mary can think of to say. She knows how much the Navy means to him. "How much longer will you be in the hospital for?"_

"I don't really know, maybe a week or so."

"_I'm coming out there. I'll book a flight as soon as we are off the phone."_

"Mare, don't. You don't need to come to Hawaii to be with me. I'm doing fine, I don't want you to drop everything and fly out here just for me."

"_Steve, you're my big brother and you need your family there with you for this. I don't care what you say, I am coming to Hawaii and you can't stop me. Besides when you're out of the hospital you will probably need someone to stay with you at home."_

Mary did have a good point about that. Steve knew he would need someone to stay with him and take him to physical therapy and his doctor appointments since he won't be able to drive. Steve doesn't want his team to stop their lives to take care of him, not that he really wants his sister to either. "What about your job?"

"_I only have a week left. We are going out of business. Netflix and too many Redboxes are bad business for movie rental stores. I haven't found another job here yet."_

"Aww, I'm sorry Mare."

"_I was thinking of maybe just coming back to Hawaii permanently. I'm sick of LA and I want to be closer to you."_

"It's not safe here Mary. We still haven't figured out the Wo Fat thing and until that is taken care of you won't be safe in Hawaii."

"_Now you are being just like Dad, Steve! Sending me away to keep me safe, you're just like him. It hurt us and tore us apart when he sent us away after Mom died. Now we have the chance to reconcile and become a family again…Steve, you're the only family I have left. I need you. I know you have Danny, Chin, and Kono with you and that you consider them family but I don't have anyone like that here. I'm on my own, and I have pretty much cut ties with all my old friends here. It's easier to stay clean without them around. I haven't exactly made any new friends either."_

Steve sighs and rubs his eyes as much as he can with his casted arm. He is incredibly proud of his sister for cutting ties with the people who were nothing but bad influences on her. He also feels guilty for sending her away. Mary is right, he is just like his father, he sent her away to keep her safe but ended up hurting her instead. It would be nice to have her closer and he wants to be able to have what is left of their family back together again. He sighs again, "Alright, you can come out to visit for a while but not until the end of the week when you have finished work. We will talk about you moving here permanently when you get here."

"_Ok, I will let you know my flight information as soon as I have it. Are you really doing ok, Steve?"_

"I'm doing as well as I can be, Mare. You don't have to worry about me. I'm getting better and making progress and I will be out of here soon. Aside from the job, how are things in LA?"

"_They're ok I guess. I'm sick of it here though."_

"We'll talk when you get here. It's late there, I should let you go."

"_I miss you, Steve."_

"Miss you too, Mary. See you in a few days."

"_Bye."_

Steve disconnects the line and sags back in his chair. His headache is back full force and he just feels completely drained all of a sudden.

"Why don't you lay down for a bit, Steve? I'll go get Sarah to help you."

"No, Danny. We can manage on our own. I'm much steadier on my feet now than I was a few days ago."

"You sure? You aren't going to get me in trouble with this are you?"

"It'll be fine. Just push the walker over here."

Danny hesitantly does as Steve says. He stands close by as Steve pushes himself up in a standing position, he pauses for a couple seconds to get his balance before he reaches for the walker and starts his slow trek away from the window. Danny hovers close to his right elbow the entire time.

"Bathroom first." Steve says before Danny can say anything about him bypassing the bed. It takes Steve longer than it should to walk the 15 feet to the bathroom and it annoys him but he's doing better than he was before. His right foot still drags a bit with each step but at least he can walk now.

"Just wait out here. I can manage this part on my own." He pulls the door shut and leaves Danny waiting outside.

A few minutes later Steve emerges from the bathroom and Danny helps him get settled in bed.

"I take it Mary is coming to Hawaii?" Danny says after Steve is comfortable.

"Yeah, the movie rental store she works at is going out of business so she has some downtime starting at the end of the week. She wants to come back permanently. Says she isn't happy there anymore."

"And you still don't think it's safe for her to be here."

"No, Danny last time she was here she got kidnapped because of my work. I don't want to put her in danger."

"Steve, if Wo Fat really wants to hurt her, he will have it done, whether she is in Hawaii or LA. He has the connections to do so."

Steve sighs, "I know. I just feel better when there is more distance between her and what is going on here."

"I know, Steve. But Mary is all you have left for family and you are all she has. It will do you both some good to get reconnected. You have the opportunity so take it. You'll only regret it when you are older. Besides it will be easier to keep tabs on her here than it is in LA, and she will have her big brother to protect her here, not to mention me, Chin, and Kono. "

"I guess. We'll talk about it when she gets here. How was work today?"

"Fine. We were called in to work a bank robbery with HPD this morning but the robbers surrendered after a couple hours of negotiations. It was a pretty simple case."

"Fill me in." Steve says as he closes his eyes. His conversation with Mary left him drained and his headache is back with a vengeance but Danny's voice calms him. Dr. Freeman said the headaches are to be expected for a while yet after having brain surgery. It usually isn't too bad except when he doesn't get enough sleep or he over does it in physical therapy. The headache is usually the worst after a seizure for some reason.

Danny talks on and on about the latest Five-0 case and how dumb the bank robbers were. Steve relaxes into his pillows; his headache eases up as his body relaxes.

It doesn't take long however for Steve's relaxed State to turn into one of panic when he feels a tingling sensation in his hands and feet and his legs start to feel numb. He also smells something he can't identify. Steve knows a seizure is imminent at this point, he just doesn't know how long it will be before it starts.

"Danny, get the nurse. Gonna have another seizure." Steve is trying to concentrate on his breathing and keeping calm but he can't help the panicked feeling that overcomes him.

Danny pushes the call button for the nurse but he isn't going to leave his friend right now. He can tell that Steve is starting to panic.

"Just breathe Steve. You'll be ok. I'm right here and Sarah will be in here in a second. Try to calm down." Danny keeps talking to Steve, trying to keep him calm and comfort him. Sarah enters just after Steve's muscles tense up. Steve loses consciousness as his body goes completely rigid for about twenty seconds before his muscles start relaxing and contracting with the convulsions.

Danny helps Sarah get Steve turned on his side. They both note the time that the seizure starts

"Just talk to him and let him now you are here. There isn't much we can do until it stops."

Danny talks to Steve as the seizure runs his course. Two and a half minutes later the seizure stops and Steve's muscles slowly relax. This is the first time Danny has been with Steve during the entirety of a seizure.

"It will take him a few minutes to wake up. When he does he will likely be confused and he may not respond to you right away."

Sarah checks his vitals and monitors his breathing while they wait for Steve to come around. It takes Steve nearly fifteen minutes to start waking up.

"Steve can you hear me?" Danny doesn't get any response from Steve so he grabs his right hand and asks him to squeeze it. Steve's breathing is labored; his eyes are open but unfocused as they slide around the room trying to take in his surroundings.

"Steve, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Danny commands repeatedly. Finally after a couple minutes Steve squeezes Danny's hand. He still looks confused though.

"You're ok, Steve. You had another seizure but it's over now and you're ok. Just take a deep breath and try to calm down. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Sarah checked you over and everything is ok." Danny keeps talking to Steve until he looks less confused and a little calmer.

"Wat…er." Steve manages to choke out. Speaking is difficult for him.

Danny grabs the glass and holds if for Steve who clumsily tries to take if from Danny. Danny keeps a light grip on it incase Steve drops it. "Just take a few small sips Steve."

Danny puts the glass down after Steve has finished drinking. He watches as Steve drifts off to sleep. Danny has never witnessed the aftermath of one of Steve's seizures; he has always been pushed out of the room and not allowed back in until after Steve has regained consciousness and fallen to sleep again. He hates seeing Steve like this, so vulnerable and confused; Danny knows that Steve hates it just as much if not more than Danny does.

The full implications of the PTE are just starting to dawn on Danny. He has logically known the result of the seizures and what effects they will have on Steve's life, especially if they can't be controlled, but until now it wasn't really real. Danny sinks back into the chair he vacated almost half an hour ago when Steve first told him he was about to have a seizure.

Danny glances at his watch and is surprised at how late it is. He'd begged off work early in order to come see Steve. He finished most of his paper work and what is left can wait until tomorrow. Chin and Kono told him before he left the office that they would come by the hospital with supper for the four of them. They should be coming any minute now.

He sits back and watches Steve sleep while he waits for the cousins to arrive.

TBC

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**This will be the last chapter posted before I leave for vacation. I will be gone nearly 3 weeks but I hope to post a new chapter within the first 5 days of my trip since I should have internet access then but I make no promises. If I get a new chapter posted while I am gone it will be up by the 4th of July. If not then I will post as soon as I can when I get home.  
**

**Let me know what you think about this chapter. I'm not sure I got Steve quite right, but then again he did suffer a traumatic brain injury and he is still suffering the effects of it.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

****Here is the next installment, it will unfortunately be the last update for about two weeks as I dont return until the 15th of July. I will post as soon as I can when I get home but I dont know when that will be. We dont get bAck until late at night. This trip is a blast so far, although I am exhausted and still jetlagged.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, forgive me for any mistakes and/or typos I checked it over on my ipad while on the plane so I probably didn't catch everything.

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**Chapter 12**

Chin and Kono pick up sandwiches for supper before heading to the hospital to visit Steve. They haven't seen him since he told them of his diagnosis. They were going to stop yesterday but Danny said he wasn't having a very good day and that they were better off waiting.

It doesn't take long for the cousins to travel the familiar route to Steve's hospital room. They enter to find Steve sound asleep in bed and Danny sitting next to him reading the newspaper.

"Steve's asleep?" Kono asks.

Danny nods, "He had another seizure about 45 minutes ago, he woke up for a few minutes but he's been sleeping ever since. He'll probably sleep for the rest of the night now."

"Aside from the seizure, how was he doing today?" Chin asks as he sets the bad of sandwiches down.

"Pretty good. He was in a much better mood than yesterday. He was sitting by the window when I got here. Steve said Mary called him this morning while he was at physical therapy and left a message. I convinced him to call her back and let her know what's going on with him. They talked for quite a while. Mary is going to come out at the end of the week. I think the conversation drained him physically and emotionally, about an hour after was when he had the seizure."

"I'm surprised Steve didn't talk Mary out of coming." Kono says.

"He tried but she wasn't having any of it. She wants to move back here, the movie store she is working at is going out of business at the end of the week. Steve is afraid she won't be safe in Hawaii with the whole Wo Fat thing. They are going to talk about it when she gets here."

"I think it would do them both some good for her to be back. Mary is the only family Steve has left."

"That's where you're wrong cuz," Chin says, "Steve has us too. We may not be blood related but we are all still a family."

"I know, Chin. That's not what I meant. It's just that aside from us, Steve doesn't really have anyone except Mary and they aren't exactly close."

"Well we will see who out stubborns who with that argument." Danny says as he starts going through the deli bag to find his sandwich. He finds his ham, cucumber, cheese, mayo, and mustard sandwich and sets it aside. He gives Kono her turkey and avocado then hands the tuna salad sandwich to Chin. He leaves Steve's roast beef, turkey, sprouts, tomato, and mayo in the bag.

They move away from the bed a bit while they eat so they don't disturb Steve with their conversation. Although it would probably take a lot more that a quiet conversation in order to wake Steve right now. He tends to sleep hard after a seizure and doesn't wake up until his body has recovered enough.

"How's he dealing with everything?" Chin inquires.

"Not as well as he is trying to project. He was ok today until he told Mary after that he seemed a little depressed. Yesterday was a bad day for him. He was really down and irritable. I know Steve usually isn't a chatterbox but yesterday he was even less chatty than normal."

"He probably just needs some time to come to terms with it."

"Let's hope so. I can't even imagine what it's like for him."

"I hope they find a medication that works for him." Kono looks worriedly at her sleep boss. She doesn't want think about what will happen to Steve if they don't find a medication that works.

They spend the next hour or so talking about various cases they are working on and some of their cold cases, trying to come up with new ideas to solve them. They don't notice Steve waking up a few feet away.

Steve wakes up slowly, he drifts in and out for a while before he truly wakes up. He keeps still and keeps his eyes closed as he tries to figure out what happened. He feels disoriented. It doesn't take long for Steve to realize that he had another seizure. His head is throbbing, he's tired, and he feels stiff and sore all over. Tell tale signs of a seizure.

Steve listens to his team talk for a few minutes before deciding to make his wakeful presence known. He wishes he could turn his head because right now turning his whole body seems to take too much effort. He finally manages to roll onto this left side so he can see his team sitting by the window.

"Hey Guys." Steve says quietly. He has to smile when he sees them all startle a bit.

"Hey Boss!" Kono is the first one up. "How're you doing?"

"I'm ok. What's going on?"

"We brought supper for everyone but you decided sleep was more important than food." Chin ribs gently. "We saved your sandwich for you if you want it."

Steve smiles but politely declines the offer, "Thanks. I'm not really hungry right now though."

"You should eat something." Danny says, the mother hen in him is coming out full force. "You still haven't put on any of that weight you lost."

"I know, Danny. I just don't feel like eating right now. Maybe I will have something later." Steve is getting annoyed with his friend's mother hen antics. Danny has been mother henning him since he woke up from the coma. It always gets worse right after a seizure.

Chin sends Danny a look saying back off. He can see that Steve is irritated with Danny and he knows that right now, so soon after the latest seizure, Steve probably can't handle much in his stomach.

"What's new?"

"Not much, we still haven't gotten any big cases, which we are ok with by the way." Kono starts filling him in, "Mostly we have been helping HPD out and working on cold cases."

"Seems the criminals have taken a vacation since you've been out of commission." Chin jokes.

"Too bad. Someone needs to keep you guys from slacking off while I'm not around." Steve says with a grin.

"Kono and Danny have been playing trash can basketball the entire time." Chin deadpans.

"Hey! That was only one time." Kono says indignantly.

"I won, just so you know." Danny grins triumphantly.

"Because you cheated!" Kono exclaims.

"Did not."

"Did too. You were using your foot to kick the rebounds in."

"That's not cheating."

"Yes it is."

Steve closes his eyes with a smile on his face. He can feel sleep pulling him under, but it is good to hear is team's good natured bickering. It makes everything feel normal, at least for a few minutes.

They can tell Steve is losing his battle with sleep. Chin makes the first move to head out for the night.

"Get some sleep, Steve. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, Boss. Don't give the nurses too much trouble."

"Bye guys. Thanks for coming by." Steve watches the cousins leave through half open eyes. Danny is still in the seat next to him. "You heading out for the night too?"

"Not yet. I'll leave after you fall asleep. You need anything from the nurse before you crash? Something for your headache maybe?"

"I'm good. It isn't as bad as it was."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Hey Danny? Thanks for earlier."

"What for? I didn't do anything."

"You stayed with me and kept me calm before it started. And helped me stay grounded after."

"Don't mention it. It's no big deal, you know how I like to talk."

"I know," Steve smiles. "But it really helped. I can't help the panicked feeling I get right before a seizure starts. It just happens and I can't make it go away." Steve laughs humorlessly, "I can go into a gun fight with heavily armed terrorists and stay completely calm but there's nothing I can do to not panic before a seizure."

"It isn't your fault, Steve. Dr. Freeman said panic or a feeling of doom is a perfectly normal reaction or aura to have before a seizure. You have to remember that most people can't control their mind or body's reaction to a seizure."

"I know, but it is still frustrating. After it's over when I wake up, I'm so confused and disoriented. I don't really remember much from waking up but I know you really helped, made me feel safe."

"You're welcome." Danny says sincerely. This is the first time Steve has really talked about what he feels like right before and after a seizure. Danny can see how much this is affecting Steve. "You should get some sleep."

Danny waits for Steve to fall into a deep sleep before he gathers his stuff and heads home for the night.

-H50-

Danny arrives home and opens a bottle of beer as he collapses on his couch. He still feels shaken up after seeing the entire seizure and its effects on Steve. He is glad Mary is coming at the end of the week because when Steve gets home from the hospital he will need someone to stay with him. Danny and the team will only get so much time away from Five-0 to be with Steve. They have had a lull in new cases for the last few weeks but eventually it will pick up again and Steve will be home alone. Danny doesn't like the thought of Steve suffering a seizure alone.

He remembers Dr. Freeman telling them about SUDEP or Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. He said it's most likely caused by respiratory failure or cardiac arrest after a seizure but the exact cause is unknown. Dr. Freeman told them it is important for someone to stay with Steve after a seizure so they can monitor for signs of respiratory failure or cardiac arrest and call 911 if necessary. Danny really really hopes that they find a medication that will control the seizures. He doesn't know what will happen if they can't control the seizures but he doesn't think it will be good. Steve won't handle it very well and Danny knows that but there will only be so much that he or the team can do to help Steve.

Danny flips on the TV and decides that it is time to stop thinking about all the bad stuff. He watches the first baseball game he comes across as he waits for his nightly phone call from Grace.

TBC

Let me know what you think. See you all with a new chapter in a few weeks!


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, here is the next chapter. My apologies for taking so long to update. I am now back from my vacation and will hopefully be back a regular updating schedule soon. **

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**Chapter 13**

Steve spends the next couple of days working his butt of in physical therapy. He is making great progress with his therapy. Dr. Freeman says he thinks he will be able to go home the end of next week. Dr. Freeman also switched him to a different anticonvulsant after his seizure two days ago. Freeman said it may take up to a week for the new medication to take full effect so he shouldn't be too concerned or disappointed if he has more seizures in the next few days.

He talked to Mary again and she is supposed to arrive Saturday night at 7:30. Danny will pick her up from the airport and then bring her over to see her brother.

Tonight Danny is going to bring Grace by to see him again. He hasn't seen her since Dr. Freeman gave him the diagnosis. He is going to explain the PTE to her tonight. She needs to know about it so she isn't scared if Steve has a seizure while she's around, especially if Danny or anyone else isn't around for some reason. Steve is nervous to tell her although he won't admit it. He doesn't know how Grace will react but Danny keeps telling him to relax, as long as he makes it so she can understand she will be ok with it.

Right now Steve is waiting for Stacy to come by to take him down to the rehab ward again. His morning consisted of a shower and then he spent two hours doing an assortment of exercises and weight lifting for both his leg and arm. This afternoon he will work on walking again, along with more weights and stretches. It's getting better but he still has to use the parallel bars or a walker for support. Stacy thinks he will be able to move onto a cane in a few days. He has a limp but Stacy assures him it will go away with more time and therapy.

His appetite is almost back to normal now, although after a rough day it tends to disappear. He also doesn't spend as much time sleeping as he did. Steve still has to take a couple short naps during the day but he is starting to spend more time awake than asleep if he isn't in therapy. Dr. Freeman also stopped by to see him this morning. Steve is still fighting depression although he is doing his best to overcome it. The doctor suggested that he see someone about it, talk to a shrink to help him figure out how to cope better and get a better handle on his pent up emotions. Steve doesn't like the idea of seeing a shrink but he grudgingly agrees to it after Dr. Freeman tells him that he knows a psychologist who is willing to see him that has background in treating veterans and was also in the Navy. Steve has an appointment with him tomorrow afternoon.

Steve is sitting up on the side of his bed with his feet dangling when Stacy comes to get him.

"Hey Steve. You ready for round two?" She greets him.

"Let's do it." Steve says. Stacy helps him get out of bed and they head down to the rehab wing.

Steve pushes himself to get moving and tries to use the bars as little as possible for support. He works hard to keep his foot from dragging with each step forward. By the time he is done, he is tired and drenched in sweat but he feels accomplished.

Stacy takes Steve back up to his hospital room where Sarah helps him cover his cast so he can take a shower and get cleaned up. She also helps him put clean dry pads in the neck brace after his shower. The padding needs to be changed out and washed every day to prevent his skin from breaking down and getting sore. By the time he is back in bed he is ready for a nap. He hates that he has to take naps and that he sleeps so much but he can't function without a couple naps during the day. Besides, it's not like there is much else for him to do. Steve doesn't watch much tv and he can't stand daytime talk shows, reading gives him a headache or makes his current headache worse so he figures he may as well sleep.

Once he is all cleaned up and dressed in a fresh pair of running shorts and a t-shirt he settles in for a nap before Danny and Grace arrive in a couple hours.

-H50-

Steve wakes up an hour and a half later. Danny and Grace should be arriving shortly. Danny said he would pick up Chinese for supper and bring it to the hospital for the three of them. He is grateful for Danny bringing him supper. Hospital food isn't the most appetizing and he is sick of eating bland, tasteless food.

Steve is trying to prepare himself and figure out how to explain everything to Gracie. He decides to wait until after they have eaten to tell her. He just hopes that Grace will understand and that he won't scare her too badly, but it is important for her to know what is going on and what to do if he has a seizure while she is with him. She will just get even more scared if she doesn't know what is going on.

Steve raises the head of his bed so he is sitting up more and waits for Danny and Grace to come. He doesn't have to wait long before he hears a knock on the door and Danny and Grace enter.

"Uncle Steve!"

"Hey Gracie! How are you?" Steve greets the little girl with a smile.

"Good. Are you feeling better?" Grace climbs up on the bed beside him and gives him a hug.

"Yeah, I am. How was school today?"

"Good, we were assigned a report on Hawaiian marine life. Will you help me with it?" Grace gives Steve the puppy dog eyes that she knows neither he nor Danny can resist.

"Of course, I'll help you. When does this report have to be turned in?"

"Next Friday. My teacher said we had to pick two animals and write a page long report on it."

White Steve and Grace are discussing the details of the report, Danny is getting out the Chinese food he brought, along with the paper plates, plastic silverware, and three bottles of water.

"Alright you two, let's eat before the food gets cold." Danny says as he pushes the rolling table over Steve's bed so he and Grace can reach and set their plates on it.

"What do you want, Gracie?"

"Fried rice and orange chicken please."

Steve dishes up a plate for Grace before getting himself a plate of sweet and sour chicken with rice and vegetable lo mein. Steve normally won't eat the fried rice, he prefers white rice normally but today he feels like indulging. Besides, he is still working on getting his weight back up. He managed to drop nearly twenty pounds in the first two weeks in the hospital.

Grace chatters about her day at school and how Chin and Kono had helped her with her homework after school today while she waited around at the Five-0 office for Danny to finish his meeting with the Governor. She also informs Steve of all the things she and Danny have planned for the next three days that she will be with him while Rachel and Stan are away. So far most of the plans involve the beach and surfing lessons but Grace makes it clear that they will be coming to visit him everyday too.

After they have finished eating, Danny clears away the mess and Grace turns on a baseball game. This time it is the Twins vs the Mets since there isn't a Yankees game on. Danny and Grace are cheering for the Twins since its sacrilege for them to go for the Mets. Steve is going for the Mets to win just to be contradictory and rile up Danny.

When the Twins take the lead and the game goes to commercial break Steve decides it is time for him to talk to Grace.

"Hey Gracie, there is something I need to talk to you about." He says as he mutes the tv.

"What is it, Uncle Steve?" Graces turns so he is facing Steve on the bed rather than looking up at him from his side. It makes it easier not only for Grace to see Steve but for him to see her since he can't move his neck to look down at her.

Steve glances at Danny for support; Danny gives him a small nod and an encouraging look.

"You know how I hurt my head really bad when I fell?"

Grace nods, "Danno says that is part of the reason you are still in the hospital."

"That's right. When I hurt my head I was bleeding inside my head and the doctors and to do surgery to remove the blood and make the bleeding stop. Well, my brain decided it didn't like everything that was happening to it very much and it made me get this condition called epilepsy."

"What's epilepsy?"

"Do you know what a seizure is, Gracie?" Grace shakes her head no. "Well a seizure makes a person's muscles get really stiff and they start moving and shaking involuntarily. Epilepsy is one of the things that make a person have seizures."

"You have seizures? When?"

"Yeah, I do. It isn't something that I can stop, it just happens sometimes and I can't control it."

"Do they hurt?"

"No, not really. Usually I fall asleep right before it starts and then I stay asleep for a while after it stops. I wake up for a few minutes and then I go back to sleep for a while. Do you remember when Danno was going to bring you to visit me the first time but then you couldn't come?"

"When you weren't feeling well and we had to wait for you to feel better to see you?"

"Yeah, well I wasn't feeling well because I had a seizure earlier that day and I was sleeping when Danno was supposed to bring you to see me."

"Will it get better and go away?"

"I don't think so. I hope the doctor can find some medicine to give me so that the seizures will stop but I don't know. That is why it is important for you to know about this Gracie. I don't want you to be scared if I have a seizure while you are with me. Sometimes it can look pretty scary but I don't want you to be scared to be with me if I have one."

"I won't get scared. What do I do if you have a seizure, Uncle Steve?" Grace doesn't appear to be upset, just curious. Steve and Danny can both see that she wants to be able to help.

"First of all if Danno or Uncle Chin or Kono or some other adult is around you should go get them; but if it is just you and me then you will have to help me. Sometimes I can tell when one is about to happen so I will lay down on a bed if I can or lay down in a safe spot on the floor. But sometimes I don't know that I'm gonna have a seizure until it starts so sometimes I just fall down. If that happens, you need to make sure there isn't anything around that I could hurt myself with, like a coffee table or chair or something. If there is something like that around that you can move you need to pull it away from me. Can you do that?"

Grace nods seriously.

"Ok, then you need to look at the clock to see what time the seizure started. After you move anything that I could get hurt from you need to just step away from me so I don't hurt you. I get really strong when I have a seizure and I could accidently hit you if you are too close. I don't want to hurt you, Gracie."

"But you are already super strong, Uncle Steve."

Steve smiles, "Thank you, Gracie. But when I have a seizure I can't control my strength or my movements so I could hit something or someone really hard and hurt them or myself without meaning to. Can you tell me what you should do so far?"

"Get Danno, Uncle Chin, or Kono or someone if they are around. If it is just you and me, move stuff out of the way so you don't get hurt, look at the time, and stand out of the way so I don't get hurt."

"Good! Then I want you to call Danno, Uncle Chin, or Kono, ok? That way you will have someone with you after the seizure stops because I won't be able to do much. You need to keep track of how long it has been since the seizure started and you should tell whoever you call what time it started. If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes you need to call 911 so they can come help me ok?"

"Ok. What do I do if it stops before 5 minutes?"

"After it stops, I will sleep for a little while, probably 20 minutes or so then I will start waking up. When I wake up I will be really confused and probably not able to talk. You can just talk to me and stay calm."

"Talk about what? Can I get close to you again?"

"Yeah, you can come near me again. Just talk about anything. What you did at school or what you and Danno are going to do on your weekend or whatever. It doesn't matter what you say, it just helps me to be less confused. You should also see if you can get me to squeeze your hand or ask me a simple question but you will have to repeat it over and over again before I will answer you or squeeze your hand. The seizures make me really tired so after I completely wake up I will go back to sleep for a few hours."

"So if there isn't anyone around I should move anything that could hurt you, check the time, stand out of the way, call Danno or someone, and if it lasts more than 5 minutes I will call 911. And after it stops I'll talk to you and get you to squeeze my hand."

"That's right. Very good Gracie. There are a few other things you need to know too, ok?" Grace nods again. Steve is glad Grace is such a smart girl for her age, its making all this easier for him to explain. "It will look pretty scary but you need to remember that it won't last long and that I will be ok when it stops. When I have a seizure I will probably drool a lot and make noises likes grunts or snorts."

"Why?" Grace asks curiously.

"Well I can't swallow during a seizure so all that spit jus runs out of my mouth. And I make noise because my vocal chords contract and my lungs will for the air out. Sometimes it is hard for me to breathe so I might make a snorting sound when I try to breathe. Do you understand that?" Steve isn't sure if he is doing a good job of explaining all this to her but so far Danny hasn't jumped in or interrupted and Grace hasn't started crying so he figures he must be doing ok. After Grace nods again, Steve goes on to explain some of the other things his face gets red at the next part. "I also might throw up on during the seizure or I might pee myself because I can't control what my body does. It just happens and I can't stop it."

Grace can tell her favorite uncle is embarrassed by this so she wraps her arms around him in a hug. "It's ok, Uncle Steve. It isn't your fault. I love you Uncle Steve."

Steve hugs Grace back and takes a deep breath. Steve is silent for a few minutes as he gathers his emotions. He can't believe how much he loves this little girl. "Thank you Gracie. I love you too. If you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask me or Danno."

"Do you get scared during the seizure, Uncle Steve?"

Steve is quiet for a moment, unsure of how he should answer; he decides that honesty is probably the best option. Grace would be able to tell that he is panicked or scared before and after a seizure if she sees one. "Sometimes I do, Gracie. But I know that Danno and the nurses are here with me when I have one so it makes me feel less scared."

Grace just nods and settles back into his side with her arms around him. She was badly scared when Danno told her how badly her Uncle Steve was hurt a few weeks ago. Steve and Danny can both tell that she is still worried about her favorite uncle. Every time she comes to visit the first thing she does is climb onto his bed and hug him like he will disappear.

Steve is glad this particular conversation is over. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be and Grace seemed to handle everything well. He just hopes he explained everything well enough for her and didn't scare her.

All the attention is turned back to the baseball game as the Mets rally and tie the game up. Danny doesn't really pay much attention to the rest of the game. He is watching Steve and Grace who still have their arms wrapped around each other as Grace snuggles in next to Steve to watch the rest of the game. He can tell Steve is relieved that the talk is over, Danny is as well. He is really glad that it went so well. Danny is really impressed with the way Steve handled everything and explained it all to the eight year old. Danny doesn't know if he would have been able to explain everything that well. Grace didn't seem to have any problem at all understanding any of it but then she is also a very smart eight year old.

Danny may have given Steve crap about his poor mammal to mammal interactions and his horrible way with children but Danny can see that he was wrong on both counts. He can see now that Steve is really good with kids, especially Grace. She seemed to fall in love with him right away after meeting him at the football game a few months ago and Steve appears to love Grace just as much. As for the mammal to mammal interactions, Steve does really well when he wants to, or has to. He isn't as emotionally stunted as Danny previously thought.

"Looks like she's asleep." Steve says quietly, glancing down at the little girl curled up next to him. He can't really see her face but he can feel her slow even breathing.

"Yeah, she's pretty wiped out. Listen Steve, you handled that really well."

"You don't think I dumbed it down too much for her? I wasn't sure how much she would understand but I also didn't want to scare her."

"No, you did great. It's hard to explain something like that to an eight year old. I don't think you scared her too much. She'll be ok."

"I just hope she never has to put what I told her to use. I don't really want her to have to deal with that."

"I know Steve, but it is better for her to be prepared for it just in case. Otherwise she would be really scared."

"Yeah, I know."

"You did good. I should wake her up to take her home and put her to bed soon. We will stop by tomorrow too. Probably bring supper again if you want."

"Sounds good. Hey Gracie." Steve gently nudges her shoulder to wake her. She wiggles around a bit before sitting up straight. "You have school tomorrow so Danno is going to take you home for the night. I'll see you tomorrow though."

"Ok, good night Uncle Steve. I love you." Grace says as she gives him another hug.

"Good night Gracie. I love you too." Steve returns the hug and Grace slides off the bed to take her dad's hand before heading out the door.

"See ya tomorrow, Steve."

"Night Danny."

TBC

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**I spent a lot of time on this chapter. I am not sure about it. Let me know what you think. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Steve sits in the recliner by the window as he waits nervously for his appointment with the shrink that Dr. Freeman recommended. Steve doesn't really want to talk with the shrink but he knows it will help. He realizes that he hasn't really been dealing with everything very well but it is a lot to deal with. This isn't the first time Steve has had to see a shrink. He has been on several missions with his SEAL team that went so far south every guy on the mission was required to see a shrink afterwards in order to get back to active duty. He has also had to undergo annual psych evals while he was in the Navy, seeing a shrink isn't anything new to Steve but it doesn't mean he has to like it.

Steve is tired, he has been awake since five, he woke up needing to use the bathroom around five and wasn't able to go back to sleep again after getting back in bed. Normally waking up at five wouldn't be a big deal for Steve but ever since his injury he tires much more easily. Before the injury Steve would wake up around five every day and go for a run or swim before showering, making breakfast, and going to work. He generally is at the office by 7:45. Ever since the injury though, Steve has been sleeping until seven or eight when Sarah or Stacy comes in to help him get ready for physical therapy every morning. What he really wants to do is lie down and sleep for a while but he can't do that until he sees the shrink.

A few minutes later, there is a knock on the door and a man who looks to be in his early 50s enters the room. He is wearing a light blue button up dress shirt with black slacks and is carrying a clipboard. He's wearing black framed glasses and has salt and pepper hair.

"I'm Dr. James Tyson. You must be Commander McGarrett." He sticks his hand out for Steve to shake.

Steve shakes his hand, "Call me Steve." He says; being called by his Navy rank right now is a bitter subject for him considering his time in the Navy is over.

"May I have a seat?" He asks motioning to the chair near Steve's.

"Sure." Steve answers flatly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Jeff tells me you have been having trouble coping with your injuries." Dr. Tyson states.

"Jeff?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Freeman. We grew up together." He explains.

Steve is quiet for several long minutes. He really isn't in the mood to talk to this guy and they way they are sitting is making Steve uncomfortable. He has to twist his body in order to see him. Steve kind of hopes that if he ignores him long enough he will just leave, but after almost five minutes of silence, other than the occasional pen scratch as Dr. Tyson makes notes on the clipboard, Steve realizes this guy isn't going to give up that easily. That is ok though; Steve can sit here ignoring him for as long as need be.

"Why don't you tell me about your injuries and how they occurred?"

Steve continues to ignore him.

"Look Steve, I can't help you if you aren't willing to accept it. It is your decision, but I think talking to me is your best option right now. I know it is hard to talk about but in the end it will be worth it." Again Steve says nothing so Dr. Tyson decides to give him an ultimatum, "If you don't want to talk to me today just say so and I will leave, I don't want to waste my time that could be better spent with patients who actually want my help."

Steve heaves a sigh; he decides he is better off talking with Dr. Tyson. If he refuses help, he will get an earful from Danny and Dr. Freeman, probably Sarah, Chin, and Kono too.

"Fine. But can you bring your chair around so I can see you better? Sitting like this hurts." Steve motions to the awkward way his body is positioned in the recliner.

"Of course." Dr. Tyson smiles at him and stands to pull the chair around so it is more across from Steve than beside him. "Better?" he asks as he sits.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Good, now why don't you tell me what you do for a living to start with?"

Steve sighs again, "I was in the Navy Reserve and I am, or was, the head of the Five-0 Task Force."

Dr. Tyson nods as he jots a note on the clipboard. "How did you come about your job as head of the Governor's Task Force?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Steve asks irritably.

"I am simply trying to establish some background on you. It will help to figure out the best way to help you."

"My father was murdered by a terrorist that I was chasing when I was still on active duty. When I came home for the funeral Governor Jameson offered me the job with full immunity and means so I could catch the man who killed my father. She wanted to form the task force as a way to clean up the island and put a stop to major criminal operations here. Right now, that is all you need to know about it." He hopes to close the doors on that subject.

Tyson nods again, respecting Steve's command of changing the topic. "So tell me how you received your injuries."

"I don't really remember what happened, all I know is what my team has told me."

"Let's start with that then."

"My partner Danny and I went on a hike on our day off in the Ko'olau Mountains. We went to see the petroglyphs up there. Danny is from New Jersey and hadn't been there before; I wanted to show him some of the less touristy parts of Hawaii. When we got to the petroglyphs we found a body lying on the ledge below. I had climbing equipment with me so I climbed down to check it out. On the way back up I guess I must have grabbed a loose rock. It came down, hit me on the head and I fell. The clip on my harness broke so there wasn't anything to stop me. I fell 40 feet or so, broke my arm and my neck on top of suffering a traumatic brain injury. Danny called an Army Medevac and they got me out. I've been here ever since."

"Can you tell me more about your injuries?"

"Why? It's all in my file. I'm sure you have already read all about them."

"I want to hear it from you."

Steve sighs and starts to explain the injuries he sustained in a way that almost sounds like he is reading it directly from a file. "I had surgery to stop the bleeding on my brain and was in a coma for eight days. A couple days after I woke up from the coma, I started having seizures. Dr. Freeman says I have Post-traumatic epilepsy from the brain injury. So far, the anticonvulsants haven't been able to control the seizures. When I woke up I had some weakness on my right side and speech impairment from the surgery."

"Your speech sounds fine now."

"Yeah, I managed to recover that pretty quickly. I'm still working on getting my strength back on my right side, especially in my leg. My arm is almost back to normal now." Steve is starting to relax a little and open up more to the therapist.

"That is a lot to cope with."

"It's not my injuries that are hard to cope with. They will get better with time and physical therapy. It's the fucking epilepsy that I can't cope with. My whole life is going to be different now. I'll be discharged from the Navy. I can't drive, I can't swim or surf by myself, and I can't do my job!"

"It's a major lifestyle change." Tyson agrees. "But just because the drugs haven't worked yet doesn't mean they won't."

"That's what everyone keeps saying and I'm sick of it! Everyone is so optimistic about the drugs working and they keep telling me not to worry about it. But every seizure I have makes the chances of finding a drug that works smaller and smaller. I can't not worry about!" Steve is breathing heavily now. "Fuck." He says and stands quickly. "I need to lie down."

Tyson gives him a confused look and is about to protest when Steve interrupts before he can say anything.

"Fucking seizure is coming." Steve sways on his feet as he reaches for the walker next to him. Tyson quickly reaches out to steady him and helps him to the bed. Steve's movements are clumsy and he stumbles a bit on the way due to the numbness spreading throughout his legs and body. After Steve is lying down Tyson steps out to grab the closest nurse.

The numbness is accompanied by blurred vision and an odd odor that is caused by neurons misfiring in Steve's brain. The aura is one of the longest one's he has experienced. It takes nearly four minutes before his muscles tense and he slowly loses consciousness. Steve seizes for a full five minutes before the convulsions slowly ebb off.

After the seizure stops, Sarah takes her patients vital signs. She is dismayed to see that his oxygen saturation is running in the mid eighties; but after a seizure as long as that it isn't unusual for a patient's O2 sats to be low for a while since people can't get enough oxygen in or out during a seizure like that. She places a nasal cannula in his nose to help get his sats back up to where they should be. Steve comes around briefly while she is getting him cleaned up but then falls into a deep sleep. She suspects that he will sleep for the rest of the day and most of the night now, the longer a seizure lasts, the longer it takes to recover from.

Dr. Tyson decides to leave for today but tells Sarah that he will be back to see Steve tomorrow if he is feeling up to it.

-H50-

A couple hours later Danny and Grace arrive with take out for the three of them. When they get to Steve's room there aren't any nurses near the desk. The father daughter duo enters Steve's room to find him sound asleep on his right side and Sarah at his bedside taking his blood pressure.

"How's he doing?" Danny asks quietly.

"He's ok." Sarah replies as she jots the reading down. "He seized a couple hours ago."

"How long?"

"Five minutes. He probably won't wake up this evening."

"Probably not," he agrees, "We will stay here for a while and then head out."

Sarah nods as she collects her things and exits. "Ring if you need anything."

"Uncle Steve had a seizure today?" Grace asks when Sarah leaves.

"Yeah, Monkey. He did."

"Is he ok?" she asks worriedly. Danny sits in a chair and pulls Grace up into his lap.

"Uncle Steve is fine. You remember how Uncle Steve said after a seizure he sleeps for a while?" Grace nods affirmatively. "Well that is what he is doing now. His body needs to recover from the seizure and it does that by sleeping. He will probably sleep all night now. He just needs to sleep so he feels better."

"I don't want Uncle Steve to have seizures anymore, Danno." Grace states with tears in her eyes, her lower lip quivering.

"I don't either Monkey. We just have to pray that Uncle Steve's doctor can find a medication that will control his epilepsy." Danny pulls Grace into a hug.

"What happens if he doesn't find one?"

"Then we just have to be there for Uncle Steve and make sure he knows we love him. This is really hard on him Gracie and he's scared. But we can help him by being there for him every time he has a seizure. It is really scary for him and it helps him to know that someone is there. That's why he explained everything to you last night." Grace nods against his chest. Danny gently takes her chin and tilts it up so she is looking at him. "Grace it is really important that you know what to do when Steve has a seizure. Can you go through the steps for me?"

Grace nods and sniffles again. Danny uses his thumbed to brush away some of her tears.

"First I should get you or Chin or Kono if one of you is around. If not I should move anything that Uncle Steve could get hurt on and check the time."

"Good. And after that what do you do?"

" Uh, I should stand out of the way and call you or someone. If it last more than five minutes I should call 911."

"Very good Monkey. What about after it stops?"

"Ummm I should talk to Uncle Steve and tell him about school or what you and me did or something like that." Danny nods with an encouraging smile. "I should try to get him to squeeze my hand when he starts waking up. Why does he have to squeeze my hand Daddy?"

"Because we need to make sure he is with it again. Being able to squeeze your hand shows that he is awake and starting to recover from the seizure. Grace, I don't think we mentioned this last night, but if Uncle Steve can't squeeze your hand after a while or if he doesn't wake up after then you should call 911 then too."

"Ok…Is Uncle Steve gonna die, Danno?"

"No, Monkey, he isn't going to die. He is gonna be around to annoy me for a long long time." Danny reassures his daughter. He hugs her tighter as he feels tears well in his own eyes. He prays that it's true.

"Good, I don't want Uncle Steve to die." She sniffles.

"Me neither, Gracie, me neither. Uncle Steve is fine though Gracie. It will just take him a while to recover from all his injuries and get the seizures under control. It may be a while before he can get back to doing everything he did before but he will get there."

"How long will that take?" Grace sniffles and wipes the tears away with the back of her hand.

"I don't know Grace. Hopefully not long."

TBC


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Steve wakes up the following morning feeling very stiff and very sore. He also has just about the worst headache he has ever experienced in his life and an upset stomach. It doesn't take long for him to realize that he must have had a seizure. He remembers talking with Dr. Tyson yesterday but doesn't remember anything after that. He glances at the clock and sees that it is a few minutes after nine, he can tell by the light coming through the curtains that it is morning. His appointment yesterday was at 3 so Steve figures that he must have slept for 17 hours give or take. He doesn't think he has ever slept that long in his life. He runs a hand over his face, fingering the nasal cannula supplying oxygen to his body.

He reaches for the call light that is clipped to the blanket near his right hand. He semi-patiently waits for the nurse to come in and help him to the bathroom and to ask her for something for his headache. Steve feels like he needs to go pretty badly but with as stiff and sore as he is feeling he decides that he is better off waiting for someone to come help him. With his luck if he attempts to make it to the bathroom on his own he will end up on the floor. Despite what Danny thinks, Steve does know his body's limits and he knows exactly what he can and can't handle based on the signals his body is sending him; and right now, as much as Steve hates to admit it, it is telling him that he won't make it to the bathroom and back without face planting on the floor. He doesn't want to do anything that would risk putting his recovery back even more, not to mention it would be embarrassing to pass out on the floor while trying to make it to the bathroom. He is fed up with being in the hospital and will do whatever it takes to get out.

It doesn't take long for Sarah to come. "Good morning Steve." She greets him. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Like shit." He answers bluntly; he isn't in the mood to put on an act of feeling fine right now. "Can you help me to the bathroom please?"

"Of course, you look like you are hurting. Do you want something for it?" She asks, observing his tightly knit brow as she removes the oxygen tubing and coils it before hanging it up.

"Yeah, that would be great. I have a really bad headache. Haven't felt this bad since Hell Week was over." Steve remembers feeling pretty much the same as he is feeling now after a week of virtually no sleep and pushing himself to his physical and mental limits. He survived though and he will survive this too. Steve feels shaky as he slowly makes his way to the bathroom. His right foot is dragging more than it did yesterday.

"Do you feel up to showering and getting cleaned up a bit right now or do you want to wait?" Sarah asks as she maneuvers the walker out of the bathroom.

"I think I better wait. I don't think I can make it through a shower right now."

"That's fine, you can shower when you feel better. Just let me know and I will help you. Stacy decided to give you the day off from therapy today after hearing about your afternoon yesterday."

"How long was it?"

"Five minutes. It's no wonder you feel as bad as you do right now. Any dizziness or nausea with your headache?"

"Both. Didn't feel dizzy until just a minute ago."

"I'll give you something to settle your stomach too. Will you be ok in here for a few minutes?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, I will be back in a couple minutes with your medications." Sarah says and leaves him to tend to his business in the bathroom.

It takes Steve a little longer than usual to finish his business and get washed up a bit. He decides not to shave today and just runs a wash cloth over his face and brushes his teeth. He stares at his reflection in the mirror, his complexion is pale and despite nearly 17 hours of sleep he has dark circles under his eyes. He looks awful.

True to her word, Sarah returns a few minutes later. She helps him get settled on the bed again and gives him is pills, along with a painkiller and an anti-nausea medication. Sarah also brought him a small can of ginger ale and a few crackers.

Steve is asleep again in seconds after Sarah leaves. He doesn't wake up again until his lunch tray is brought in at noon. He isn't nauseous anymore but he doesn't feel like eating. His head is still pounding and despite all the sleep he has gotten he still feels exhausted. Steve manages a few bites before his stomach starts churning again. He drinks the ginger ale and pushes his tray away. He pushes the call button for Sarah with the hopes that she can give him something more for this migraine-like headache.

He flips through the channels on TV, hoping to find something that will distract him from the pain in his head; however, the noise from the TV only serves to exacerbate the headache. He quickly shuts it off and sags into his pillows, clenching his eyes closed against the pain.

Suddenly there is a knock at the door. "Come in." He answers, expecting to see Sarah. He is surprised to see Dr. Tyson enter.

"Good afternoon, Steve. How are you feeling today?"

"Shitty." He says bluntly. Normally he would lie and say he is fine but he is pretty sure his looks are betraying him on all fronts today. He is sure his face is showing how much pain he is in. Besides, he can't muster up the energy to try convincing Dr. Tyson that he is fine.

"You had a pretty rough afternoon yesterday."

Steve doesn't reply. What is there to say? He doesn't feel like dealing with all this right now. His head is killing him, his stomach is churning, and he wants to take another nap.

Steve is saved from a forced conversation with Dr. Tyson when there is another knock on the door and Sarah enters.

"What can I do for you, Steve?" She asks kindly. "Hello Dr. Tyson." Sarah adds when she notices him standing a few feet from the door. He nods at her, acknowledging the greeting.

"Can I have something more for my head?"

"Certainly. Did what I gave you earlier help at all?"

"Not really, it hasn't gone down at all since I woke up this morning. I think it is even getting a little worse." Steve confides in her, completely ignoring Dr. Tyson.

"On a scale of 1-10 what's your headache at?"

"Like a 9 maybe even a 10."

"Dr. Freeman said you can have something stronger if the pills don't work. I'll get some Demerol and be right back."

"Thank you." Steve lies back in bed and closes his eyes. The throbbing in his head has increased in the last couple minutes and his stomach is threatening to betray him. He is starting to think that his lunch may make a reappearance soon.

Dr. Tyson can see his patient starting to turn green around the gills and quickly grabs the emesis basin from the table and hands it to Steve just in time. Steve heaves and retches, expelling the meager contents of his stomach. He continues to dry heave after his stomach is empty. When he is finally finished, Dr. Tyson wordlessly takes the basin and empties it out.

Sarah returns just as Steve is finishing throwing up. He looks miserable, she thinks. She quickly injects the pain medication into his IV port before checking over his vital signs. Dr. Tyson returns from the bathroom with a clean basin and some water for Steve to rinse his mouth out with.

Steve gratefully takes the glass and proceeds to rinse and swish. "Thanks." He says when he is finished.

"How are you feeling now?" Dr. Tyson asks.

"A bit better. Head doesn't hurt as much." Steve still feels exhausted but the throbbing in his head has lessened a bit, for which he is grateful.

"Do you still feel sick, Steve?" Sarah asks while taking his temperature in his ear.

"No, not anymore. I think it was the headache that made me sick. The Demerol is working."

"Good. Let me know if your headache spikes again or if you feel sick again. In the meantime you should get some more rest. Your body is still recovering from the seizure yesterday, which is why you feel so bad right now. Is there anything else I can get for you before I go?"

"No. Thank you though." He sinks into his pillows and lets his eyes fall shut.

Dr. Tyson speaks as Sarah is leaving the room. "Steve, I just came by to see how you were doing today. I won't keep you from your rest any longer but I will be back to see you again on Monday afternoon. Hopefully by then you will be feeling better and we can make some headway on finding a way to help you cope with the seizures."

Steve cracks an eye open to look at Dr. Tyson. "Thank you."

Dr. Tyson nods and leaves the room.

Steve is finally alone again. His headache is down to a manageable level thanks to the shot of pain medication that Sarah gave him. He still feels exhausted though despite sleeping for the majority of the last 21 hours. Steve hates feeling like this. He wants nothing more than to just feel normal again, something that he hasn't felt for over three weeks. He wants to get out of the hospital and go back to living his life. It's not going to happen though, not anytime soon anyway.

Steve sighs and shakes himself from his dark thoughts. He needs to get some more sleep before Danny and Grace come by later. Mary is supposed to arrive tonight. Steve is looking forward to seeing his sister but at the same time he is nervous for her to see him like this. He needs to sleep some more before Mary gets here if he wants her to believe that he really is doing ok.

Steve does his best to get comfortable, after finding a semi comfortable position he drifts off to sleep.

-H50-

Steve wakes several hours later to find that he is feeling much better than he was earlier. He keeps his eyes shut while he assesses his condition. He is pleasantly surprised to find that his headache is pretty much gone and he no longer feels exhausted. He stretches a bit in bed, his muscles are still stiff and sore and will be for a day or two longer but he really can't complain about how he is feeling.

When he finally opens his eyes, Danny, Grace, Chin, and Kono are all sitting at his bedside watching him come awake.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon than watch me sleep?"

"Obviously not." Chin says. "How are you doing? Sarah said you have had a rough time of it the last 24 hours."

"Better." He smiles. "Headache is almost gone." Steve fumbles around, searching for the bed control so he can sit up.

"Here Boss." Kono says holding the remote that must have fallen off the side of the bed while he was asleep.

"Thanks Kono." Steve says as he raises the bed so he is nearly sitting upright. "What are you guys up to today?"

"Nothing much." Danny answers, "We went to the beach earlier. Kono gave Grace another surfing lesson and we went for shave ice at Kamekona's after."

Grace crawls up onto the bed and gives him a hug before settling in beside him. "We brought you some Uncle Steve but it was melting while you were asleep so I ate it before it all melted."

Steve laughs, "That was very nice of you Gracie. Wasting shave ice is a crime, I'm glad you enjoyed it for me." Steve tickles Grace until she is in a fit of giggles. "How long have you been here?"

"A little over an hour now. We didn't want to wake you."

"Chin and I stopped by your house earlier. We got Mary's room ready for her and got a few groceries for her too. Aired the place out a bit and cleaned out your fridge, it was starting to reek."

"I think the lettuce was starting to ferment." Chin says.

Steve wrinkles his nose, he can't remember when he bought the lettuce but he is pretty sure it was questionable before he ended up in the hospital. He can only imagine the condition of the contents of his fridge after three weeks of nonuse.

"Thanks guys." Steve says. "You didn't have to do all that."

"We didn't want Mary to get stuck dealing with everything when she gets here tonight." Kono says.

"Thank you."

"Hey Steve, what do you feel like eating for supper? Kono and I are going go to pick something up for everyone later."

Steve has to think for a minute, he isn't sure what he wants to eat. He feels like he is starving. The last time he ate and it stayed down would have been lunch yesterday. He missed supper last night and breakfast this morning because he was still sleeping and his lunch didn't stay down for long. He finally comes to a decision after a few minutes. "How about some loco moco?"

"We can do that. What do you want Danny? We'll order from Ono Laulau's."

"Just a hamburger for me. What about you Gracie?"

"I want loco moco too." She says. Danny makes a face; he thinks loco moco is one of the most disgusting foods after ham and pineapple pizza. He can't figure out where he went wrong that Grace likes both loco moco and ham and pineapple pizza.

"Alright, we will go get it in a little while." Chin says, making a mental list of what he needs to order.

"How was your surfing lesson Gracie?" Steve asks the little girl who is still curled up beside him.

"Good. I only fell once! And I made it all the way to shore three times!"

"That's great, Gracie! You'll be rivaling Kono's skills in no time." Steve winks at Grace as she giggles.

"Watch it, Bossman." Kono says playfully.

"Can we go surfing together when you are better, Uncle Steve?" Grace puts on her puppy dog eyes, even though she knows the answer will be yes.

"Of course. As soon as my doctor says it is ok we'll go, alright?"

Grace nods enthusiastically with a big smile on her face.

Grace chatters on about everything else she did today and what she did in school yesterday, as well as what she and Danno did when she was out of school. She is going to bring her science book and note book tomorrow so Steve can help her with her report on Hawaiian marine life. Grace and Steve are talking about her report when Chin and Kono leave to go get supper for the group.

It doesn't take long for the cousins to return with four loco mocos and a hamburger for Danny. Despite being famished, Steve eats slowly. It is hard to eat with the neck brace on without making a mess, especially since he is only propped up in bed and not sitting completely upright at a table. Steve finishes eating after everyone else but he is satisfied when he's done.

Shortly after everyone is finished eating and they have the mess cleaned up Danny announces that he needs to leave in order to go pick up Mary from the airport on time.

"Come one Grace, let's go pick up Mary and then we'll come back." Danny says fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"But Danno, I want to stay with Uncle Steve."

"Grace, we won't be gone for very long and we will come right back here to see Uncle Steve."

"Please Danno?"

"She'll be fine here Danny. Besides you won't be gone that long." Steve says.

"Alright Gracie, you can stay. But be good and listen to Steve, Chin, and Kono."

-H50-

Danny waits at the baggage claim for Mary. According to the arrivals monitor her plane was scheduled to land about ten minutes early. He doesn't have to wait long to see Mary push her way through the crowd. He pulls her into a hug as soon as she is within reach.

"How's it going Mary?"

"I'm ok, how is Steve?" Mary returns the hug.

"He's holding it together for now. I'll tell you more about it on the way to the hospital. Which bag is yours?"

"It's an old blue and silver suitcase."

They have to wait a few minutes for Mary's suitcase to show up on the carousel. Danny grabs it as soon as he can and the pair head out to his Camaro.

"Have you eaten yet? We can stop somewhere on the way and grab something if you're hungry." Danny says as he points the car towards the short term parking exit.

"I'm good. I ate at the airport before takeoff. How's Steve really doing, Danny?"

"Not as well as he's trying to make everyone believe but he's trying to cope with it. He saw a psychologist yesterday on the recommendation of his doctor."

"I bet that went over well." Mary's tone is full of sarcasm.

"Steve actually agreed to it. I think he's realizing that he can't handle it all on his own. I don't know any details about the session but he seized before it was over. It was a bad one, lasted five full minutes and took him all night and pretty much all day today to get over according to his nurse. Sarah said he had a terrible headache all day. She gave him a shot of Demerol this afternoon that finally took care of the headache enough that he could get some good sleep. He slept all afternoon, didn't wake up until almost 5 after me, Grace, Chin, and Kono had been there for an hour."

"Is he feeling better now?" Mary asks full of concern for her big brother.

"Yeah, when he woke up his headache was gone. He was feeling fine when I left to come get you. Chin, Kono, and Grace are with him now."

"Have they gotten any closer to finding a medication?"

Danny shakes his head, "They switched him to a different one a couple days ago but it may take up to a week before it really starts working. So I don't really know. Hopefully this one will help."

They fall into a slightly uncomfortable silence as they both dwell on their own thoughts for the rest of the drive to the hospital.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16

****Here is the next chapter. I am going to try to start wrapping things up in the next few chapters, I start school again in a few weeks so I want to get as much of this done before then as I can so I don't have long delays in posting.

**Chapter 16**

It doesn't take long for Danny to show Mary the way to Steve's room. On the way up he sent a text to Chin saying that they would be there in a couple minutes and that he was going to take Grace to the cafeteria for ice cream to give the siblings some alone time together and that the cousins were welcome to join them.

When they enter, Grace is still sitting next to Steve on his bed and they appear to be playing a game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Before anyone can say anything Danny beckons Grace away from her favorite uncle with the promise of ice cream and Chin and Kono decide that they will go with Grace and Danny for some coffee before heading out.

"Hey big brother." Mary says when they are finally alone.

Steve holds out his arms, "C'mere Mare." She sits on the edge of her bed and lets him pull her into his embrace; she wraps her arms around him in a tight hug. "It's good to see you." he says.

Mary buries her face in his shoulder. The hug is a bit awkward because of their positions on the bed and also because of Steve's immobile neck but Mary doesn't want to let go. Mary, or anyone else, never would have thought that a rough tough Navy SEAL would give good hugs but for as long as Mary can remember hugs from her brother have always been the best. His strong arms wrapped around her make her feel safe and loved, even if they don't exactly have a close relationship.

Mary finally pulls away and studies her brother, he looks good, better than what she had though he would after learning the extent of his injuries. "How are you doing?"

"Ok, getting better every day. The doc says I may be outta here by the end of the week." Steve has been hounding Dr. Freeman and Stacy about when he can be released from the hospital for a week now. He is ready to break out of here but at the same time he is, in a sense, afraid to leave the hospital. He is afraid of having a seizure outside the hospital, with other people aside from medical professionals around him. "How was your flight?"

"Long, boring. I hate long flights."

"LA to Oahu isn't that long of a flight." Steve ribs her gently.

"Five hours on a cramped plane is plenty long."

"What would you know about cramped planes? You're like a foot shorter than me, you have plenty of leg room." Steve teases his sister.

Mary laughs, "That's true but it's still cramped."

"Chin and Kono got the house ready for you. Your room has clean sheets on the bed and they stocked the fridge too."

"I'll make sure I tell them thank you then. Danny said you had a really rough day today. Are you feeling better now?" Mary asks as she studies her brother, trying to discern any signs of pain or discomfort on his face.

Steve sighs, "Yeah, it wasn't much fun. I feel fine now though. The headaches gone, I'm still tired and sore but I feel a lot better."

"That's good. Is that normally what it's like for you after a seizure?" Danny told her about how badly Steve was feeling earlier today but didn't say if that was a typical reaction for him.

"No, it's not, not that bad anyway. I usually have a headache after but it has never been that bad before, it was like a migraine. Normally the seizures aren't that long though either."

"Do you think they are going to find a drug that works?"

Steve shrugs slightly, "I don't know. I asked Dr. Freeman what the chances are and he wouldn't give me a number, said there are too many variables and not enough research to figure out a statistic. I'm starting to think they won't." he admits quietly.

"You have to stay positive Steve. It's only been a couple weeks since this all started. Be patient and give it time. Don't give up."

Steve doesn't want to talk about it anymore so he changes the subject. "Listen Mary, about you moving back-"

"Not right now, Steve. We can discuss this when you get out of the hospital. There's no rush." Mary's tone left no room for argument.

Honestly, Steve doesn't really feel like arguing with his sister right now so he changes the subject again. "How was your last week of work?"

"It was ok, I'm thinking about going back to school."

Steve is shocked; school was never really Mary's thing. She isn't dumb but she never applied herself in school, especially after their mom died. "Oh yeah? What for?"

"I'll let you know when I figure it out, but if I ever want to get a decent job I need to get a degree. I'm kinda sick of these dead end jobs."

Steve smiles genuinely at his baby sister. She is finally starting to grow up and be responsible. "Good for you Mary. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you." She whispers, choked up with emotions. It means a lot to Mary to hear those words from Steve. They may not be close but that doesn't mean that Mary doesn't want the approval of her big brother or that she doesn't care what he thinks. She is starting to turn her life around and it is something that she wouldn't have done without Steve's help and encouragement over the last few months. Her trip to Hawaii after their dad died really put things into perspective for her.

Mary can see that Steve is starting to tire; she is too if she is honest. One glance at her watch tells her that it is almost 11 in LA, 9 in Oahu. "I should find Danny and get going, let you get some sleep."

"I slept all day." Steve says annoyed with his body.

"Because you needed it. Still do by the looks of it."

Steve runs a hand over his face and through his hair. "I'm fine."

"Whatever you say Bro. I can hear Grace giggling down the hall."

Steve grins when he hears the childlike laughter coming from down the hall, it's unmistakably Grace and Danny laughing about something, "Danny's never going to get her to sleep tonight with all that sugar in her system."

Less than a minute later the father daughter duo enter the room.

"How was your ice cream Gracie?"

"Good! I had chocolate vanilla twist with caramel syrup and sprinkles!"

_That explains why she is so hyper_ thinks Steve. Grace climbs up on Steve's hospital bed to give him a hug.

"You about ready to head out for the night?" Danny turns to Mary who is now standing several feet from the bed.

"Yeah, I think Steve is getting worn out." Mary and Danny look on as Steve and Grace discuss the finer points of ice cream flavors and toppings.

"Probably, I know he slept pretty much all day but it doesn't take much to tire him out right now." Danny explains quietly. "Come Grace. Say good night to Steve, it's time to go home."

Grace wraps her arms around Steve in a tight hug. "Good night, Uncle Steve. I love you."

Steve returns the hug, "Good night, Gracie. Love you too."

Grace hops off the bed and joins her dad at the door. Mary gives Steve one last hug and a kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, bro. Get some rest."

"Night, Mary. See ya tomorrow Danny."

-H50-

The drive from the hospital to Steve's is silent. Mary and Danny are both lost in their own thoughts and Grace seems to be coming down from her sugar high. When they reach Steve's house Danny get's out to show Mary how to work the alarm system and carry her bag in for her.

"He seems like he is holding it together ok." Mary says out of the blue as they enter the dark house.

"For now anyway. I think you being here will really help him, especially when he gets out of the hospital." Danny says as he starts up the stairs with her suitcase.

"What do you mean?"

"He worries about you. He didn't want to tell you about any of this because he was afraid that you wouldn't handle it very well and start using again."

"I haven't used in over 6 months, I'm not about to start now! I'm not a fragile doll!" Mary defends, she isn't really surprised to hear that Steve is worried but she is still annoyed that he doesn't think she'll stay clean.

"I know that, Mary. Steve does too. But he knows about your record with rehab and he is just concerned about your wellbeing."

"Yeah, well, before I didn't want to quit, now I do. I want to stay clean, Danny. Besides he needs to worry about himself not me."

"Steve realizes that, but as your big brother, it is his job to worry about you. It's what big brothers do when it comes to little sisters, take it from me. Having you here will keep those worries at bay; it will also make him realize that you are serious about staying clean this time. Not only that, but Steve will need someone to stay with him pretty much around the clock in case he has a seizure. I think he will handle having you around better than me, Chin, or Kono because he won't have to feel guilty about taking us away from work since you are going to be staying at the house and don't really have any commitments here."

"I guess. He's going to be a bear when he comes home."

"Yeah, I am surprised he hasn't been worse. There were a couple of days he wasn't pleasant to be around but for the most part he hasn't been too bad. Dr. Freeman started him on an antidepressant a few days ago, I think it is helping but I know Steve hates taking it."

"That's not surprising. Steve hates taking meds of any sort. Always has. When he was a kid and got sick, mom would have to chase him around the house to get him to take his antibiotic or whatever. He was like that until he sliced the bottom of his foot open on some sharp rocks when he was 10; he had to get like 30 stitches. The crutches slowed him down enough that mom didn't have a problem catching him to get him to take the antibiotic. She still had to fight with him to open his mouth though." Mary smiles at the memory.

Danny snorts. "I'm glad to hear he has only improved with this. It's getting late, I should get back to Grace and take her home. What time do you want me to come by tomorrow morning to take you to the hospital?"

"I don't care, whatever works for you." Mary says around a yawn.

"How about around 10?"

"That will work for me." Mary says.

"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow Mary." Danny gives her a quick hug and bids her goodnight. Grace is sound asleep in the backseat.

Mary locks the front door and sets the alarm after Danny leaves. She heads for the kitchen to find something quick to eat before she heads to bed. She feels weird being in the house knowing that Steve won't be returning tonight. This isn't the first time she has stayed in the house by herself; last time she was here Steve often spent the night in the office when working a case. It feels different now knowing that he hasn't been in the house in nearly a month, knowing the reason he isn't here is because he is in the hospital.

TBC


	17. Chapter 17

******I want to thank everyone who is still reading this, especially those who have taken time to review, I hope I didn't miss anyone in replying to them. I also want to thank all the guest reviewers who I can't reply to. The reviews, favorites, alerts, etc really mean a lot and are what keep me going with this fic.  
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**Chapter 17**

Mary spends all of Sunday at the hospital with Steve, despite his protests that she needs to go do something fun. Danny and Grace come Sunday afternoon before Danny has to take her back to Rachel; Grace brings her book and notebook so Steve can help her with her report. She chooses to write about dolphins and sea turtles.

Monday finds Steve spending all morning and most of the afternoon at physical therapy. By the time he is done he is exhausted, it doesn't take more than a couple minutes for him to drift off to sleep. An hour later he wakes up to find Dr. Tyson sitting in the chair by the bed.

"Hello Steve." Dr. Tyson greets him when he sees that Steve is awake and looking at him.

"You know, it's kind of creepy waking up to find your shrink staring at you, watching you sleep." Steve says as he raises the head of the bed so he is in more of a sitting position.

"Just getting a head start," Dr. Tyson replies with a sly grin, Steve raises an eyebrow. "I'm kidding. I actually had just sat down, I was going to wake you but you beat me to it. How was the rest of your weekend after I saw you Saturday? You look like you are feeling better."

"Yeah I am. It was fine after the headache finally went away Saturday night."

"Good. I want to pick up where we left off on Friday. Is that ok with you, Steve?"

"It would be but I don't really remember where we left off." Steve doesn't really intend for that to come out as a smartass comment but it does anyway. He doesn't really care though. He thinks that maybe he's been hanging out with Danny too much.

"We were discussing the medications. You got upset because everyone but you seems to be optimistic about the meds working. You said you were sick of people telling you it will be ok."

"Yeah, well I am. They don't know that the meds will work or that everything will be ok. Nothing will be ok if I keep having seizures."

"Why do you say that?" Dr. Tyson asks.

"I won't be able to do my job with Five-0; I'm going to have to figure out a new career because I'm done with the Navy for good now. I won't be able to drive, or even live by myself."

"You're going to have to make some changes but it isn't the end of the world. Steve, just because you may not be able to do field work anymore doesn't mean you can't still do your job."

"I can't lead my team effectively from behind a desk. I can't do my job from a desk."

"Why do you say that?"

"I can't lead them in the field from the office or investigate crime scenes. Interviewing witnesses or suspects will be impossible unless they all come to the office which is also impossible. I'll be left with nothing but paperwork."

"Have you been injured since you started working with Five-0?"

"Yeah, on the first case. I was shot in the shoulder. What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm assuming after you were shot you were on restricted duty for a few days. Correct?"

"Yeah, I think three or four days."

"Ok. What did you do in those few days when you were off?"

"Most of it was spent on paper work from the case. That and getting the office set up."

"Has anyone else on the team been injured?"

"Not really. Danny tore his ACL and was out for a couple weeks."

"And what did Danny do while you three were in the field? Or at a crime scene?"

"Danny would still go to crime scenes or on interviews but he sat out on the raids and arrests. During one raid, he directed it from the surveillance van."

"You could still do that stuff. You can still lead your team and be a vital part of the team. Just because you can't conduct raids doesn't mean you won't be able to help plan them or help with surveillance, you may even be able to go to the crimes scenes and conduct interviews. You don't have to tie yourself to your desk because of this."

"Until I have a seizure in front of a suspect or contaminate the crime scene because of one."

"Steve, even if you don't leave the office there is a lot more office work involved in law enforcement that doesn't include paperwork. You and I both know that. You can still interrogate suspects, run down leads, analyze evidence and surveillance footage, there is a lot of stuff you can do without going into the field."

Steve just sighs and says nothing.

"We aren't getting anywhere with this right now. Let's come back to this discussion later. You're getting too upset and stressed out. I don't want you to have a repeat of our last session."

Steve closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths, he needs to calm down and relax a bit before it triggers a seizure. He still has another half an hour left of his session with Dr. Tyson. After a few minutes he feels calmer and more relaxed, he takes another deep breath and opens his eyes.

"Are you doing ok, Steve?" Dr. Tyson is concerned about his patient.

"Yeah."

Dr. Tyson studies his patient for a moment before he decides it is ok to proceed with the session. "Let's change directions for a while, is that alright with you, Steve?"

"Sure."

"Alright, why don't you tell me how you normally deal with stressful situations?"

"Um, if I can I usually swim or go for a run."

"What about when you can't run or swim?"

"I'll do pushups or lift weights, something physical usually."

"Good. Exercise is a good way to handle stress providing you don't overdo it. But what about when you can't exercise? When you are out in the field or there is something preventing you from exercising like an injury."

"I do breathing exercises. In the SEALs we learned ways to slow and control our breathing so we wouldn't alert the enemy; most of the time it happens unconsciously."

"We need to find a way to help you deal with the stress of you injuries in a nonphysical way. Have you ever tried meditating, Steve?"

"Not really."

"I want to have you try it and see if it helps. I'm thinking that if the breathing exercises help you then meditating might also help you better cope with the stress of your injuries and the seizures. I want you to start with closing your eyes and concentrating on your breathing. In through your nose, out through your mouth." Dr. Tyson waits for Steve to comply before giving further instructions. "Now I want you to try to clear your mind. Focus on your breathing and push the other thoughts out of your mind."

He lets Steve work on that for a few minutes but he can tell that Steve doesn't quite have the hang of it. "Steve you need to stop thinking and just concentrate on your breathing."

Steve sighs in frustration and opens his eyes. "I can't."

"Tell me what you are thinking about then?" Dr. Tyson prods.

Steve runs a hand over his face and then picks at the blanket covering his legs. He doesn't want to tell the shrink what he's thinking about, he's tired of being psychoanalyzed and he thinks he's done enough sharing for today. He wants Dr. Tyson to leave so he can take a nap.

Steve is saved from sharing when there is a knock on the door and Mary Ann enters the room.

"Hey, am I interrupting something?"

"Hey Mary, no it's alright. Come in." Steve has never been so grateful to see his sister in his life. He is hoping she will give him the out he needs in order to end this session fifteen minutes early.

"This is my sister Mary." Steve says to Dr. Tyson, "She just got her from Los Angeles."

Dr. Tyson stands to shake Mary's hand. "Pleased to meet you Mary, I'm Dr. Tyson."

"Likewise." Mary replies. She shifts her gaze over to Steve, "I can come back in a bit if you two need some more time."

"No it's ok. We are pretty much done anyway." Steve says quickly, smiling at his sister and ignoring Dr. Tyson.

Dr. Tyson sends Steve a look but picks up his clipboard and starts for the door. "I'll see you again same time tomorrow afternoon, Steve."

Steve waves his hand, acknowledging Dr. Tyson and sinks back into his pillows after Dr. Tyson is out the door. He is so relieved to be done with therapy for the day. He was starting to feel overwhelmed by everything.

"Thank you, Mary. You have perfect timing."

"You're welcome?" Mary says, unsure of what her brother means.

Steve sighs and rubs his face, "Dr. Tyson is my shrink. He's been here for over an hour and I needed to be done with it for a while."

"Glad I could be of service." Mary grins. She knows how hard it is for him to open up to a stranger about how he's feeling and that it is best for him to do it a little at a time on his terms.

"Hey, how'd you get here anyway? I thought you were going to come with Danny after he's done at the office."

"I got bored and decided to grab a cab to come see you."

"You can drive my truck if you want."

"See, I was going to but then I couldn't find the keys for it. I thought about hotwiring it but I figured you wouldn't appreciate that much."

Steve just gapes at his sister who starts laughing. "I'm joking! I don't know how to hotwire a car!"

Steve eyes her suspiciously, causing Mary to laugh even harder. "Seriously! I thought about driving the Marquis but then I remembered you and Danny only made it 9 miles so I figured I was better off catching a cab."

Steve laughs, "Probably. The Marquis needs a little more work but I'm getting close to having it running again. I don't know where my keys are though. They should be on the ring by the door."

"I searched the whole house and couldn't find them."

"Huh." Steve thinks, wondering where else his keys could be when it dawns on him that he had driven the truck to the Ko'olua Mountains on the morning of the accident. "The keys are probably in my personal stuff here. I took the truck when me and Danny went hiking. Is it at home?"

"Duh!" Mary exclaims, "Why would I look for the keys to the truck if it wasn't at your house?"

Steve glares at her, "The keys should be in the plastic bag in that drawer." Steve motions to the drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe. If nothing else there is a spare set in his desk drawer at Five-0, probably how Danny or Chin got the truck back to his house.

Mary retrieves the bag from the drawer and rummages through Steve's personal effects that he had with him on the day he fell. It takes a few minutes but she finally finds them at the bottom of the bag. She holds them up triumphantly, "Found 'em!"

"Great. You can drive my truck providing you don't wreck it and you don't use the police lights and sirens."

"Aww, you're ruining all the fun, bro!"

"Sorry to disappoint but you'll get in serious trouble if you use the lights and sirens."

"Don't worry Steve. I won't do anything stupid."

Steve has to laugh at the last phrase, their mother would always tell them not to do anything stupid whenever they would go out with friends. Her last words before they would leave would always be "Be home by 11. I love you and don't do anything stupid!" He's sure that if she were still alive today she would still be saying the same thing every time they left, no matter that they are both grown adults.

"So how was physical therapy today?" Mary asks as she plops down in the chair next to his bed.

"Good, started using a cane today instead of the walker. Stacy thinks she'll be able to release me to outpatient therapy in a few days." Steve grins, he is anxious to leave the hospital and get back home.

"That's great! How about your session with Dr. Tyson?"

Steve sighs and runs his hands over his face. "It was fine." He says simply, unwilling to elaborate more on the topic. "What did you do today?"

"Not much, slept in, I tanned on the beach for a while and went surfing. That's about it. I talked to Danny on the way over here and he said he would bring take out for supper."

"Hmm." Steve replies with his eyes closed.

"You should get some sleep, bro. You look exhausted. I'll wake you before your team gets here."

It only takes a minute or two for Steve to drift off into a deep sleep. Mary sits back and watches her brother sleep. She hates seeing her big, strong, tough, Navy SEAL brother in this condition; constantly exhausted, scared, and vulnerable. She knows that he hates it too. As much as Steve is trying to hide all this, they can all see through it. It's good to know that he won't be in here too much longer though, a few days at most. Being home will do Steve a world of good, he will still have to come to the hospital five days a week for rehab but at least he will have a semblance of control back. Mary really hopes that Steve doesn't have any more seizures. He hasn't had one since the bad one on Friday. She can't imagine Steve living the rest of his life like this, being hyper vigilant of when the next seizure will happen, unable to work, drive, surf, do all the things he loves. Mary is terrified for him.

TBC


	18. Chapter 18

******My apologies for the delay in posting. I moved into a new apartment last week and have been experiencing internet connectivity issues since I moved in. Also, I have been trying to get back into the swing of things with college. Class started today so updates may be a little slower but I will get the next chapters up as soon as I can. Hopefully over the long weekend I will have plenty of time to write and update without distractions. On the upside I write more when I have homework to do because I don't want to do my homework so that is good for you guys lol.  
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**It feel like this chapter is a bit rushed but I wanted to get something up for you since it has taken me so long to update.  
**

**Chapter 18**

Tuesday passes just like the last couple have, Steve gets up early, spends most of the morning and early afternoon in physical therapy and then has another session with Dr. Tyson late afternoon. They worked on his meditation and talked more about the ways the PTE will affect his life once he gets out of the hospital. Steve is starting to open up more to Dr. Tyson but he still has a hard time with it.

Right now, Steve is in his room eating supper with Mary, Danny, Chin and Kono. Mary made grilled chicken sandwiches and brought them for supper. She is telling the team stories about when they were kids and in exchange they are telling her about some of Steve's antics in the office or on cases.

Steve is laughing with them, even during some of the more embarrassing stories. It feels good to be surrounded by his ohana, feels normal despite being in a hospital room. Steve is starting to tire though. The heavy meal, along with the busy day, left him fighting sleep. Steve is so relaxed at the moment and on the edge of sleep that it takes him longer than usual to recognize the signs of an impending seizure.

"Guys." Steve says with his eyes closed, his breathing has changed from slow regular breaths to rapid shallower breaths. That is all it takes for Danny, Chin, and Kono to realize what is about to happen. It takes Mary a bit longer to catch on. Chin steps out to find Sarah or one of the other nurses. Danny helps Steve get turned on his side in a somewhat comfortable position. Kono and Mary step off to the side so they are out of the way. Danny is quietly talking to Steve, keeping him calm by muttering quiet reassurances.

Less than a minute later Steve starts seizing. Sarah and Chin reenter seconds after the seizure starts. Chin stands back with Kono and Mary. Mary hasn't witnessed any of Steve's seizures yet and is shocked by what she sees. Steve's limbs are jerking uncontrollably, the fingers on his left hand are curled into an unnatural looking fist around the cast and his right arm his held tight against his body as it spasms. His eyes are opened slightly but all that's visible are the whites of his eyes. They can hear him struggle to draw air into his lungs and see the saliva that runs out of his mouth.

For Mary, it makes everything real, she knew about the seizures before but actually seeing her brother seizing forces her to acknowledge everything. Mary can feel the tears well up in her eyes; Chin wraps an arm around her as she muffles a sob with her hand. She absolutely hates seeing Steve like this, as do Danny, Chin, and Kono.

The minute and a half that the seizure lasts seems like a lifetime for all of them. The convulsions slowly ebb off and Steve's breathing hard but he's not having trouble drawing air in any more. He's in a deep sleep for about fifteen minutes before he slowly starts to come around. His eyes dart around the room but they don't focus on anything, Danny is pretty sure Steve isn't aware of their presence right now.

He slips his hand into Steve's, "Steve, can you hear me? I want you to squeeze my hand."

Steve's eyes continue to dart around, unfocused. He's still not aware of the people around him. Finally after repeatedly commanding Steve to squeeze his hand, Steve finally does.

"M tired, Danny." He slurs slightly. Danny is still not sure that Steve is fully aware of his surroundings or what happened but the fact that he is awake and talking now is a good sign.

"It's ok, Steve. You're ok. Go ahead and sleep now." Danny is still holding his best friends hand, watching Steve relax and drift off.

After Danny decides that Steve is resting comfortably, he turns toward his friends standing near the window, acknowledging them for the first time since the seizure started.

"He's gonna sleep for a while now, probably the rest of the night." He says to Mary. Mary has tears running down her face and she is slightly shaking. Danny steps up and pulls her into a hug. "He's ok, Mary. He just needs some sleep and he'll be fine. I know it's scary to see Steve like that but he's ok now." Danny holds Mary for several minutes until she calms down.

Mary takes a deep breath and pulls away from her brother's best friend. "Sorry. I just…I just don't like seeing him like this."

"It's a lot to take in." Danny agrees. "Right now we just have to be strong for him. He needs us to stay calm when he has a seizure, it helps him to stay calm; he starts to panic and it just makes it all worse for him."

Mary nods, eyes fixed on Steve. He looks peaceful now, breathing deeply, face relaxed in sleep. "I'm gonna stay with him tonight."

"You should go home and get some rest, Mary. Steve probably won't wake up until morning. Besides, Steve will be released in a few days and you won't do him any good if you are worn out too."

"I know but I don't want to leave him. I just need to make sure he's ok on my own. And I can sleep just as well in the chair here as I would at home anyway."

"You haven't been sleeping at home?"

Mary shakes her head, "Not well anyway. I don't like being in the house by myself. It isn't right being there without Steve since it is his house you know."

"You stayed there alone when we were working a case last time you were here and didn't have a problem."

"Yeah, but Steve was at work then not in the hospital; and he would at least drop by at some point during the day or night to get cleaned up and maybe catch a few minutes of sleep."

"I guess I can understand that. Hopefully he will be home by the end of the week."

"I hope so; Steve is definitely sick of this place and ready to be home."

"I know, he's been bugging the doctors and nurses incessantly about going home for the last few days. You sure you want to stay?"

Mary nods, "Yeah, I'm staying. I'll get a cab back to the house tomorrow sometime. Steve gave me the keys for his truck so when I go back to the house I can drive that."

"Alright, I'm going to head out Mary. I have some things I need to do, I'll come by again tomorrow sometime."

"See you tomorrow, Danny." She waves as he heads out the door.

Mary sits down the recliner next to Steve's bed. He's sleeping soundly and looks comfortable so Mary pulls out her laptop and starts researching PTE. Danny and Steve have told her a little bit about it but she wants to know as much as she can so she can help her big brother. Mary gets immersed in her research for several hours, oblivious to the time. It's almost one am when she is startled by a whispered "Hey" from Steve.

"You're awake! We didn't think you'd wake up before morning. How are you feeling?"

Steve gives a slight shrug, "Ok, tired still but ok. What time is it?" he can't see the clock from his position on the bed.

"Almost one. You've been sleeping for six hours."

"Hmm. How long was it?" Steve closes his eyes.

"About a minute and a half."

"Not too bad then. What are you doing?"

"Playing Solitaire." She lies. Mary doesn't know why but she doesn't want her brother to know she's reading up on PTE. "You should go back to sleep."

"Need to get up first." Steve throws the blanket off to the side and starts to slowly sit up.

"Hey, you should call a nurse for some help."

"I'm fine, just push the walker over her and I'll be fine getting to the bathroom and back." Steve gives his sister a look that says do what I say or else. Mary stares back at Steve before grudgingly giving him the walker. She stands close as he gets himself off the bed into a standing position and heads for the bathroom.

"Mary just sit down. I'm fine walking to the bathroom by myself."

"You sure you're supposed to be up on your own? Especially after a seizure?"

Steve is about to lose his temper with his sister, "Mary, I'm fine. I'm still a little tired but otherwise I'm ok. I can go to the bathroom on my own. Besides, I won't have nurses to help me when I go home so I need to start doing stuff on my own now. Just sit down and don't say another word."

He turns his back to his sister and continues to make his way to the bathroom. Mary is saying something but he tunes it out as he shuts the bathroom door. He takes care of business and is back in his bed a few minutes later. Mary doesn't say anything until after he is settled back in.

"Look Steve, I'm sorry if I was being overbearing but I'm worried about you ok? I saw you seize and it scared me. I've never felt so helpless before in my life."

"I know, Mary. I'm sorry for blowing up on you. I'm just sick of being in the hospital and being dependent on others and I'm sick of this fucking epilepsy. I need to start doing more on my own, so please don't try to stop me."

Mary looks at her brother for a few minutes; he has a pleading look on his face, almost one of desperation as he tries to convey his feelings. "Ok, but promise that if you need help you'll ask. I don't want you setting yourself back because you were too stubborn to ask for help."

Steve ponders her proposal for a minute, "Alright, deal."

"Good, now go back to sleep. You look like you're about to fall over."

"Yes, Mom." Steve grins.

"Shut up." Mary gives him a playful shove in the shoulder.

Steve gets more comfortable and settles into sleep. Mary decides to put her laptop away and try to catch a few minutes of sleep herself.

-H50-

Mary wakes up a few hours later to what she at first thinks is a loud snore from her brother; which is odd because Mary has never known Steve to snore unless he's sick with a cold. When she opens her eyes she sees that Steve is yet again having a seizure. She quickly stands and pushes the call button a few times before she turns him on his side. Its three thirty six a.m. Mary isn't sure how long he's been seizing but she hopes that it stops soon. By the times Julia comes in, the seizure has quit and Steve is breathing heavily.

"Sorry, I was in the room next door. How long was it?" Julia asks as she starts wrapping the blood pressure cuff around Steve's arm.

"At least a minute. I'm not sure; I was sleeping and woke up after it started."

Julia nods as she focuses on taking Steve's blood pressure. Mary grabs a tissue and wipes the saliva from Steve's face and chin.

"His vitals are all looking ok, his blood pressure is a little high but that's not uncommon. It will come down as he relaxes."

Mary nods, "how long before he wakes up?"

"In a few minutes. Usually 10-20 before he starts coming around."

Mary sits in the chair holding Steve's hand. A few minutes later his eyes open slightly and dart around the room.

"Hey, Steve. Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Mary commands. She doesn't get a response. Steve's eyes dart around as if searching for something then they close for a second before opening them again to look around.

"Squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Mary commands again. Steve's eyes flicker toward her for a few seconds but they drift off again. Finally after several tries Steve squeezes her hand and she can see his eyes focusing on her. "You doing ok, Big Brother?"

"Ugh." is all he manages to get out. He's still trying to collect himself.

"You're ok, Steve."

"Wha time 's it?" He finally manages to ask.

"Almost four a.m. You should go back to sleep."

"Hmm. You stayin'?"

"Yeah, I'm staying. I'll be here when you wake up."

Steve sleeps for the rest of the night and into the morning. He gets up later than usual and doesn't start therapy until the afternoon. He only does one session instead of the usual two PT sessions. Mary stays with her brother until he wakes up but doesn't get more than an a couple hours of sleep after the second seizure. She goes home for a shower and clean clothes while Steve is doing his physical therapy. Mary also manages to get a couple hours of sleep before she returns for a couple hours that evening.

TBC


	19. Chapter 19

****The day has finally come that Steve gets to go home! :) I hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review! I'm afraid I have fallen behind in sending pm's to those that left comments.

**Chapter 19**

Friday afternoon finds Steve sitting on the edge of his hospital bed, dressed in a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a navy t-shirt. He is waiting anxiously for Dr. Freeman to come in and sign his release papers so he can finally go home after spending exactly four weeks and one day in the hospital.

He was up early for another physical therapy session, at the end of which he was released from in patient therapy to outpatient therapy five days a week. Steve had another seizure two nights ago, just a short one that lasted less than a minute, but afterwards Dr. Freeman decided to once again switch the anticonvulsant medication yet again. He told Steve that if this one didn't work they would start trying a combination of drugs.

Steve looks up anxiously when he hears someone at the door; he is slightly disappointed when he sees that it is just Mary and Danny and not Dr. Freeman.

"You all set to go, Big Brother?"

"Still waiting for Dr. Freeman to come sign the papers."

"He hasn't been here yet?" Danny asks.

"If he'd been here already do you think I would still be sitting here?" Steve says sarcastically, he isn't in the greatest mood at the moment. He is elated that he gets to go home but at the same time he's nervous for it.

"Good point. Chin and Kono are at the office but they are gonna stop by tonight for supper. We figured we could grill some steaks for a little welcome home party tonight. Just the six of us."

"Six?" Steve asks. Chin and Kono only make five with him, Danny, and Mary.

"Rachel said I could have Grace for tonight since you're getting out of the hospital finally."

Steve just smiles, he is glad Danny and Rachel are getting along better and that she doesn't restrict Danny from Grace as much as she used to. Plus, then Steve get's to see his honorary niece more too. It's a win for all of them. Steve won't admit it, but Grace has him wrapped around her little finger, he wouldn't have it any other way though.

They sit and wait for fifteen more minutes before there is finally a knock at the door and Dr. Freeman comes in with a stack of papers.

"Sorry it took me so long. I had an emergency surgery come up this afternoon." He says by way of entrance.

"So can I go home now?" Steve asks excitedly.

"Let's go over some things and then I'll sign your marching papers and you can be on your way. Do you want Mary and Danny here for this?"

"They can stay. I'll just end up filling them in on it later anyway."

Dr. Freeman nods and pulls out a few specific papers. "Alright Steve, I know you are anxious to get out of here and get home again but you really need to take things easy for the next few days. You'll still come in Monday through Friday for rehab but when you are at home I want you to rest. Either laying down in bed or sitting in a chair or couch. Nothing strenuous outside of your therapy. Ok?"

"I got it." Steve says. Danny snorts. It is going to be struggle keeping Steve from over exerting himself at home.

"Good, it's also very important for you to stick to your medication schedule. Don't miss a dose or wait too long between doses. You really need to keep a log of your seizure activity as well now that you are out of the hospital. It will help figure out a dosage and medication that will work for you if we have detailed records of each seizure and if it was triggered by something." Steve promises that he will do as he's instructed. Steve wouldn't miss a dose of meds anyway, he wants too badly for the medication to control the seizures.

"Alright Steve, we already talked about the other restrictions, I don't think we need to go over them again?"

"No."

"Good, I'll see you next Thursday for a follow up neuro appointment and for your appointment with the orthopedist about your arm after." Dr. Freeman says as he signs the papers and gives Steve the yellow copy, along with his written discharge instructions and prescriptions. Sarah enters the room with a wheelchair just as Steve receives the last of the papers.

"I can walk out of here." Steve says eyeing the wheelchair.

"I know you can, but its hospital policy so if you want to leave you ride down to the car in the chair." Sarah says as she brings it closer to him. She learned quickly after three weeks of working with Steve that she has to be strict and just as stubborn as he is for him to cooperate.

"Babe, the sooner you get in the chair the sooner we can get out of here." Danny says slinging Steve's duffle bag over his shoulder.

Steve sighs but gives in. He doesn't want to stay in the hospital any longer. He gets up from the bed and reluctantly sits in the wheelchair. Sarah pushes him down to the lobby and out to the curb where Danny has the Camaro parked. Danny puts the bag in the trunk and Mary climbs into the back seat so Steve can have the front.

Sarah locks the brakes on the chair before Steve stands, "Here you are, Steve. I hope your recovery continues to go well."

Steve stands and turns toward Sarah, "Thank you for everything you've done for me." He says sincerely, giving her a quick hug. Sarah helped him so much during his stay here and continued to put up with him despite his sometimes extremely foul mood.

"You're welcome. It was my pleasure taking care of you; however I hope I don't have to do it again. It's always unfortunate when I have a repeat patient."

Steve laughs; he really hopes that he won't need her services again as well, despite the fact that she is probably one of the best nurses that he's encountered; which considering the number of times he has been in hospitals over the years says a lot. "I hope I don't need your services again either but if I do end up here again, I'd rather have you, you're a great nurse."

"Thank you. It means a lot." Sarah blushes a bit, "Take care, Steve." She says as Steve turns to the Camaro. Steve settles into the passenger seat and waves goodbye as they pull away from the hospital.

Steve is thrilled to finally be going home after being in the hospital for a month. He hopes that being home will help with the seizures and the other aspects of his recovery from his injuries.

He is exhausted already though and is getting a headache from lack of sleep. He didn't sleep the greatest last night. He had a nightmare from his days as a SEAL and woke up at about 2 am and wasn't able to get much sleep afterwards. Steve doesn't have nightmares often anymore but he does still have them occasionally. When he would first get back from a mission or tour of duty he would have them quite often, almost every night for a few weeks, sometimes even months after his return. Nightmares are inevitable in his line of work but they don't usually bother him much anymore, he maybe only has them a couples times a month anymore unless something from work provokes them.

Danny and Mary are silent on the drive so Steve leans back in the seat and closes his eyes for the remainder of the twenty minute drive to Steve's house. They make a quick stop at the pharmacy to get Steve's prescriptions.

He awakens from his doze when the car comes to a stop and the engine turns off outside his house. Steve opens the door and slowly climbs out of the car. He makes his way to the front door, leaning heavily on his cane. He searches his pockets for his keys, when he realizes that he doesn't have them he steps to the side and waits for Mary to unlock the front door. His house keys are still on the key ring with his truck keys that Mary has.

Mary unlocks the door and holds it open for Steve before she disarms the alarm. Steve enters and heads straight for the couch. He is exhausted and as much as he hates it, he could really use a nap right now.

"You should lie down in a bed, Steve." Mary says.

"The couch is fine."

"Steve-"

"Mary, I'm too tired to make it up the stairs right now." Steve makes it clear that he isn't moving anytime soon.

"Fine. Can I get you anything? Water maybe?"

"I'm good. I just want to sleep for a bit." Steve says as he repositions himself so he is lying on the couch with a flat pillow under his head. They neck brace makes lying like this a bit uncomfortable but Steve doesn't care much. There isn't much he can do about it anyway considering he has to wear the brace for another two months more than likely. Steve wishes that he could take it off but he'll wear it as long as he has to since taking if off could turn him into a quadriplegic. Steve is really lucky he isn't one already considering the fall he took and the seizure that fully broke the cracked vertebra.

"Hey Steve, I need to go get Grace from school and then we are going to get some stuff for supper. We'll be back in a couple hours with Chin and Kono. Get some rest." Danny says after he come back downstairs from depositing the duffle bag in Steve's room.

"Hmm. See ya later, Danno." Steve's already half asleep.

-H50-

Steve sleeps until Danny returns with Grace, followed by Chin and Kono. All four of them come in carrying bags of groceries. They pass through the living room quietly, unaware that Steve is awake now. Steve pushes himself into a sitting position on the couch and scrubs a hand over his face. He feels much better than he did before he took his nap. His headache is almost gone and he no longer feels exhausted.

Grace, who was heading up the rear of the line, drops the two bags of groceries she's carrying, thankfully neither sack contains anything breakable, and runs over to her favorite uncle.

"Uncle Steve! I'm so happy you're finally home!" Grace greets him excitedly, throwing her arms around him.

"Hey Gracie! I'm really happy to be home too." Steve returns the little girls hug. "How was school today?"

"Good! Miss Taylor really liked my report! She gave me an A!"

"That's great!"

"Thank you for helping me with it!" Grace gives him another hug.

"Any time Gracie! Should we go help Danno and Mary with the groceries?" Grace nods and hands Steve his cane before picking up the grocery bags she dropped. The pair makes their way into the kitchen where Mary, Danny, Chin, and Kono are busy putting away the groceries and getting stuff sorted out for supper.

"Hey! Welcome home Boss!" Kono says when she sees Steve and Grace enter the kitchen together.

Kono pulls Steve into a tight hug. "It's good to have you home Steve."

"It's good to be home, Kono."

Kono pulls away and Chin steps up, shaking Steve's hand and giving him a bro hug. "Welcome home, Brah!"

"Thanks Chin."

"You ready for some steak and potatoes?" Danny says while he unwraps the steaks from the packages. Mary is standing at the sink scrubbing potatoes for Kono to wrap in foil to put on the grill.

"I'm starved." Steve says. "You need help with anything?"

"I think we have it under control." Mary says. "Why don't you and Grace go get some fresh air out on the lanai?"

"What do you think Gracie?"

"Yeah, can we put our feet in the water?"

"Sure, but we can't go any deeper than our ankles ok?"

Grace nods. Danny chimes in, "Gracie, you need to change out of your school clothes before you go outside."

The little girl runs off to change clothes, she has a spare set of play clothes at Steve's to wear after spending the day playing in the water. Steve pulls a chair out from the table to sit.

"You sure you're up for this, Steve?" Danny asks, concerned. He knows Steve didn't sleep the greatest last night and could tell he was suffering from a headache earlier.

"I'm fine, that nap really helped. Besides it will be good to get some fresh air and put my feet in the water. It's been too long."

They can all understand Steve's need to be outside right now. After spending a month in the hospital Steve is long overdue for some fresh air and sunshine. He's lost most of his tan over the last few weeks so he is definitely long overdue for some sunshine.

Steve toes off his tennis shoes and removes his socks while waiting for Grace to return from changing clothes. He slides them out of the way with his foot. Grace returns a second later dressed in a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a pink tank top with matching pink slippers.

"I brought your slippers, Uncle Steve." Grace says as she puts them down by his feet. Grace thinks of everything.

"Thank you Gracie! You ready to go outside?" Steve slides into the tan leather slippers that Grace brought him. He stands and Grace takes his hand. Steve wraps his fingers around her hand as best he can but the cast inhibits the movement, his right hand is occupied with the black cane.

Steve and Grace slowly make their way down to the water. Walking in the sand is a lot work for Steve and its slow going to get to the water but eventually they get there. The pair wades into the water and just stand there for a while, not saying anything.

Steve inhales deep breaths of fresh ocean air. He can't believe how much he missed the fresh smell of ocean air and the warm sun on his face. It feels so good to be in the water again, even if it's only up to his ankles. The water has always had a calming effect on him.

Grace finally breaks the silence, "Do you still have epilepsy, Uncle Steve?" She is looking up at him with big concerned eyes.

"Let's go sit on the beach, Gracie." Steve gives her hand a gentle tug and they make their way over to the spot in the sand where they always sit together. Grace being the perceptive and caring little girl that she is sits down in front of Steve instead of beside him; this way he can see her better since he can't move his head.

"Yeah Gracie, I do."

Grace's face falls, "Oh, I was hoping that since you got to come home it meant the epilepsy was gone."

"I wish it worked that way. My doctor gave me a different medication to take so hopefully it will work."

"Will the medicine make it go away?"

"No, it doesn't work quite that way. It will stop the seizures if it works, but the epilepsy will always be there."

Grace wrinkles her nose in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"It means that if I stop taking the medicine the seizures will start again."

"Oh..What happens if the medicine doesn't work?"

"Then Dr. Freeman will give me a different medicine. Or change the amount that I take."

"How long will it take?"

"I don't know, Gracie. I hope not too long, but sometimes it takes a few weeks or months to find the right medicine."

"I hope you find the right one soon." Grace says as she wraps her arms around Steve.

"Me too, Gracie. Me too." Steve returns the hug and holds her close. After a minute he pulls away. "I hear Danno and the crew out on the lanai, should we go supervise and make sure they don't burn our steaks?"

"Yeah, Danno's not very good at grilling."

Steve barks out a laugh, "I know, he's kind of a hopeless cook. It's a miracle neither of you have starved to death!" He jokes as he tickles her side.

Grace giggles, "Good thing he's good at ordering take out!"

"Let's go kick Danno away from the grill and get Chin to take over." It takes Steve more effort and time than usual to stand up after sitting in the sand but he manages and soon they are making their way to the lanai.

On the lanai, Danny and Chin are arguing good naturedly about who is going to do the grilling.

"Hate to break it to you, Danno, but Gracie and I are both with Chin on this one."

"What? You turned my own daughter against me?" Danny says in mock horror. The truth is he knows he isn't the greatest cook but he thinks he can handle grilling ok.

"No, her taste buds turned her against you." Steve grins as he sits in one of the white Adirondack chairs.

"Is that true, Monkey?"

"Uh huh, plus we might have to call the fire department and that wouldn't be good." She says with a straight face but there is a twinkle in her eye. The adults all burst into laughter at that, with the exception of Danny-who barely manages to contain his own laughter.

Danny pretends to have a heart attack and drops theatrically into the chair next to Steve. "I can't believe my own flesh and blood has turned against me!"

Grace just giggles and climbs into his lap to give him a hug. "I love you, Danno. Even if your cooking sucks."

"Thank you, Monkey." Danny laughs.

The good mood continues as Chin mans the grill and the girls are busy putting together a salad. Steve leans back in his chair and observes his ohana. From his vantage point he can see all of them without much trouble. Steve is so glad to be home and surrounded by this group of people. He doesn't know what he would do if he didn't have them. He knows for sure that he wouldn't survive all these life changes if he didn't have them to support him, especially Danny. Having everyone together like this takes him back to the BBQ's they would have before the accident. It let's Steve feel normal and forget everything that he is dealing with right now, just for a little while.

The rest of the evening continues much the same, with lots of laughter and lightheartedness. They are all thrilled to have Steve out of the hospital finally. It was a long thirty-one days for all of them. They all know though that it isn't over though. Steve still has a long recovery ahead of him but hopefully he will be back at work with them sooner rather than later, even if it is just desk duty. Although none of them can wait for the day that Steve is back with Five-0 in full capacity after they finally find the right medication.

TBC


	20. Chapter 20

I'm really sorry for making you all wait for this update. Life has been really crazy lately and every time I would sit down to finish this chapter something would come up and prevent me from doing so. I want to thank everyone who has left a review. It is always nice to hear feedback and know that people are reading and enjoying this fic.

And now on to the story. You'll get some brother sister bonding time and see Mary and Steve have a heart to heart.

**Chapter 20**

Steve's first few days at home go relatively smoothly. He got home on a Friday so he had the weekend to adjust to being home before he started with rehab Monday morning. He starts physical therapy at eight every morning Monday-Friday until eleven. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Steve has a therapy session with Dr. Tyson. They decided to do all his therapy appointments as early in the day as possible since the majority of the seizures occur in the afternoon and evening, that way if he does have another he would already be at home and it won't interrupt his rehab too much.

Mary drives him to the hospital for therapy and picks him up again a few hours later. Steve hates having to be chauffeured around by his little sister, especially when she is driving his truck. Steve knows that he is a control freak, even though he won't admit to it, but he likes to think he isn't as bad as he used to be. It is still hard for him to give it all up though. He feels like he doesn't have control of anything anymore. His life is dictated by his rehab schedule and he has to rely on other people to take him places and help him live his life and he hates it.

It's Tuesday now, Steve just got home after his second morning of physical therapy since being home. He is tired and wrung out but feels like he made progress today. He isn't using his cane for support as much as he was. Towards the end of the day he leans on it more but the rest of the time it's more of a safety assurance since his leg still isn't up to par.

He's sitting on the ground out on the lanai stretching his leg while Mary makes sandwiches for lunch. He does stretches at the end of rehab every day but he's found that his leg muscles don't ache or stiffen up as much if he does stretches throughout the day. Steve finishes up his routine before slowly getting up off the ground and settling in one of the Adirondack chairs. He hates how slow he moves now, and how much effort it takes him to do a simple task like getting up off the floor or ground or climbing the stairs to his room. Steve can't wait for his leg to regain all its strength so he can move at his normal pace again.

"Hey Bro. You want water or iced tea with your sandwich?" Mary asks as she sets the two plates with sandwiches and fresh fruit on them down on the table.

"Just water." Steve answers. Mary disappears for a minute but quickly returns with a glass of water for Steve and an iced tea for herself. She sits down across from him and digs into her sandwich. Steve eats all the fruit and most of the sandwich. His appetite is better since being home but he still has days when he just isn't hungry.

After lunch Steve settles into his recliner with the tv on a history channel documentary about World War II. Mary is reading a romance novel on the couch. It doesn't take long for Steve to drift off for a nap. He doesn't sleep as much during the day as he used to but after spending all morning in physical therapy he is in need of an hour long nap after lunch.

He wakes up a little over an hour later to his cell phone ringing. He answers, "Hey Danny. What's up?"

"Hey, we just caught a big case and I'm supposed to have Grace today. I can't pick her up from school and Rachel is in a meeting this afternoon for some charity she's working with."

"Mary and I can pick her up from school and she can hang out here until you are done with work." Steve says before Danny can even ask if they would mind picking up Grace and watching her for the afternoon.

"You sure you're up to it?"

"Yeah Danny. I'm fine. Besides I love having Gracie here, and it's not like she's difficult to take care of."

Danny laughs, "Yeah that's true. Thanks Steve."

"No problem. What's the case?"

Danny hesitates for a moment before deciding that he's better off telling Steve about their case. Otherwise Steve will just keep bugging him about it. "Double homicide. We think its gang related. Two men shot execution style found in an ally. That's all we know right now."

"Alright, thanks for keeping me updated Danny. Go work the case. Mary and I will pick Grace up after school."

"Thanks partner."

Steve hangs up the phone and tosses onto the side table next to him. Despite the five minute conversation with Danny, Steve doesn't really feel awake yet. He scrubs his right hand over his face and rubs his eyes, trying to get all the grit and goop out of them. He stands and heads into the kitchen for a glass of water and briefly wonders where Mary is. He downs a full glass of water along with his next dose of the anticonvulsant. He has to take it every 8 hours which isn't ideal but he'll deal with it if it's the one that will control the seizures. He hasn't had one in six days so he's starting to get hopeful that maybe this is the right medication.

After putting the glass in the dishwasher he wanders into the dining room where Mary is seated at the table with her laptop.

"Whatcha doing?" Steve asks.

Mary jumps, having not noticed her brother enter the room, "Dammit Steve!"

Steve chortles and Mary's glare turns into a laugh, it's hard for her to be upset with her brother when he appears to be in a good mood. He's been a bit sullen lately so it's a good change even if it's because he startled her.

"So what are you doing?" He asks again, sitting down next to her.

Mary just turns the computer towards Steve. Steve's eyebrows shoot up, "UH? Really?"

"Yeah, I told you I was thinking of going back to school. I was just looking into my options."

"So I take it this means you are planning on staying in Hawaii permanently?"

Mary nods, "I would really like to. I like it here and I miss Hawaii when I'm in LA. I miss you too when I'm in LA."

Steve smiles softly at his sister. "I'm proud of you, Mary. You've grown up a lot in the last few months and if you want to stay in Hawaii then that's up to you."

"Really? You aren't going to give me a lecture about how Hawaii isn't safe?" Mary asks in surprise. She had expected more of a fight from her brother about this.

"Mary, when I talked to you on the phone a few weeks ago and you first mentioned moving back to Hawaii, I was really reluctant to have you back here but what you said about me sending you away and being just like Dad got to me. I don't want to hurt you and that wasn't my intention when I put you on that plane back to LA. All I could think about was your kidnapping and what could have happened if you hadn't called when you did or if Danny and I hadn't found you." Steve is choked up with emotion. It's hard for him to express his feelings like this but it is something that both he and Mary need. His hands are on the table, fiddling with a stray thread on the placemat, eyes downcast. Mary reaches out and puts her hand over his.

"I know you didn't do that to hurt me, Steve. I know you were scared and just trying to protect me. I didn't really mean what I said on the phone when we talked last time. I was angry and I was also scared."

"I know. I talked to Danny about everything after we got off the phone that day. He mentioned that no matter where you are, if Wo Fat wants to hurt you he will; he has ways to do so without even leaving Hawaii, so the argument of you being safer there is a moot point now. Besides, I like having you closer where I can keep an eye on you and I want for us to be close again. Like when we were kids, before Dad got so distant and Mom died and then being sent away."

Mary has tears in her eyes now, "I want that too, Steve. You're the only family I have left and I don't want for us to be distant anymore. But I'm a grown woman now; I don't need you to keep an eye on me."

"I know you are, Mare. But you'll always be my little sister no matter how old you are. And as you big brother, it's my duty to keep an eye on you and keep you safe. That's never going to change."

Mary nods, "I think I'm going to move back here and go to school. I'll have to go back to LA at some point to get the rest of my stuff but that can wait. And I'll have to find another apartment to live in here once you are back on your feet."

"You can stay at the house as long as you want, Mary. It's your house too."

"I know, but you probably don't want me around all the time cramping your style with Catherine." She smirks are Steve as he blushes, "Speaking of Catherine, where is she?"

"The Enterprise is docked in Turkey at the moment. They have limited communication with the people at home right now so Cath doesn't even know what happened yet." Steve says quietly. He misses Cath and feels bad that he hasn't told her yet but the only communication he's had with her has been through email and he doesn't think this is something she should learn from an email.

"Oh." is all Mary can think of to say. She isn't really sure what the relationship between Steve and Catherine is but she knows that whatever it is, Catherine is good for Steve. She hopes that when Catherine finds out she'll be there to help Steve. She also hopes that she can get to know her better. They met briefly when Mary was visiting a few months ago. It was a really awkward conversation considering Mary had just spent the night before listening to her brother and Catherine have sex and because Catherine wasn't wearing any pants, just Steve's dress shirt from the night before.

"So Danny called a few minutes ago. They just caught a big case and he's supposed to pick Gracie up after school and Rachel can't because of a meeting or something. I told him we would pick her up from school and watch her until he can come get her."

"Cool. What time do we need to go get her?" Mary closes the laptop and pushes it away.

"School gets out in forty five minutes so we should leave here in half an hour."

TBC

* * *

This chapter was originally over twice as long but I decided to split it into 2 chapters to keep it from getting too long. Let me know what you think. :)


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

They pull up to Grace's school just as the bell rings. A couple minutes later a swarm of kids come out the front doors and make their way to the respective parent's vehicles. It takes a minute for Grace to spot Mary standing in front of Steve's blue truck and likewise it takes just as long for Mary to pick Grace out of a flood of kids all wearing turquoise polo tops with khaki pants or skirts.

"Mary!" Grace squeals and runs toward her new friend, Mary isn't quite at honorary aunt status yet since she's only seen Grace a few times since she came back to the island; Mary is ok with that though. Grace wraps her arms around Mary as Mary kneels down to Graces level.

"Hey kiddo! Danno had to work a case today so Uncle Steve and I are going to take you home for a while." Mary explains after pulling away from Graces hug.

"Did Uncle Steve come or is he at home?"

"Yep, he's in the truck waiting for you. Let's go say hi." Mary takes Grace's hand, leading her to the truck. She pulls the door open and takes Graces backpack so she can get settled in the seat behind the driver's seat.

"Hi Uncle Steve!" Grace says as she buckles her seat belt. Mary get's in the driver's seat and buckles her own seat belt before putting the truck in drive and heading towards the house.

"Hey Gracie! How was school today?" Steve twists his whole body in the seat so he can see Grace better.

"Good. Tommy said he rode a fifty foot wave over the weekend but I don't believe him."

"Remember what Danno said about listening to Tommy, Gracie?" Steve can't believe some of the stories this Tommy kid comes up with to tell Grace. They keep getting more and more ridiculous.

"Yeah, we put the closed sign over our ears because he's a pathological liar." Grace says seriously. Mary coughs back a laugh. She doesn't know about the things that Tommy tells Grace. "I don't think Kono has even rode a wave that big and she's really really good."

"You're probably right about that Gracie. Besides, fifty foot waves are pretty rare and you would have to be a really brave, really experienced surfer to attempt to surf a wave like that."

"Not to mention crazy." Mary adds.

"What are we gonna do at your house Uncle Steve?"

"I don't know Gracie. Do you have any homework?"

"Just practicing my spelling words."

"Ok, first we practice your spelling words and then we can do whatever you want. How does that sound?"

"Ok. Can we play on the beach and build sand castles after?"

"If that's what you want to do." Steve says. Mary grins at her brother, Grace has Steve completely wrapped around her little finger.

"And then can we go swimming?"

"Mary can take you swimming if she's ok with it. I can't swim until the cast on my arm and the neck brace come off."

"Oh." Grace's face falls, "How long will that be?"

"Well hopefully I will get the cast off on Thursday but it's going to be several more weeks before I don't have to wear the neck brace anymore." Steve explains to Grace.

"How come?"

"I hurt my neck pretty bad and then it got worse so I have to wear the brace until my neck is completely healed so I don't hurt it even more."

Mary parks the truck in the driveway and they all climb out and head inside. Grace dashes inside towards the dining room before Steve even has the alarm disarmed. By the time Steve sits down next to Grace at the dining room table she already has her spelling list and notebook out.

Steve grabs the list and starts reading the words for Grace so she can spell them out in her notebook. It takes about ten minutes for them to get through the list and for Steve to check her work and help her with the words she misspelled.

After she finishes her homework, Grace races off to change into the swimming suit she leaves at Steve's place. Mary wanders into the dining room a couple minutes later dressed in a pink and white flowery sundress over her swimming suit.

"How'd the homework go?"

"Grace is really smart but spelling isn't her greatest subject. She only missed a couple words today though. You sure you don't mind taking her in the water?"

"What else am I going to do? Besides, I love swimming and having Grace there will make it more fun."

"Thanks Mary."

"Are you ready Uncle Steve and Mary?" Grace comes flying into the dining room, clearly excited to go play on the beach.

"You bet we are Grace." Mary says, leading the way outside. Steve follows behind the two girls, stopping at the door to slide his feet into his slippers. He has a bit of difficulty getting the toes on his left foot around the thong but he manages without too much trouble.

Outside, Mary and Grace are already frolicking in the shallow water right off the beach. Steve is thrilled to see how well Mary and Grace get along. He'd worried about that a bit considering Mary isn't really any better with kids than Steve was before he met Grace. Grace is easy to get along with though and is surprisingly easy going considering who her dad is. Danny and easy going definitely don't go together. Steve thinks that probably helps a lot when it comes to them getting along.

Steve sits in one of the chairs down in the sand. He laughs watching the splash war going on between the girls and snaps a couple pictures with his iPhone. It's relaxing to sit here on the beach watching his little sister and "niece" play in the water. Steve is glad that Mary has decided to stay in Hawaii; it will be good having her around more.

After about forty five minutes of playing in the water the two girls migrate towards the beach and plop down in the sad near Steve's feet to build a sandcastle. Steve slides down into the sand to help them build and sculpt the castle that Grace declares is for Dolphin Trainer Annie and GI Joe. After while Mary stands and brushes the sand off before pulling her sundress back on and heading inside to fix something for dinner while Grace and Steve continue to play in the sand.

"Hey Gracie, I think it's time we go inside ok?" Steve speaks after a while. Grace is in the process of digging a moat for the castle and pauses with her shovel mid air.

"But we aren't done you, Uncle Steve. And Mary said she would come get us when supper is ready."

"I know Gracie, but I'm not feeling well and I think I need to go lay down for a little while." Steve can feel the impending seizure coming, he hopes that he has enough time to get inside and lay down on his bed upstairs before it starts. That way he can shield Grace from it.

Grace doesn't argue further, just gets up and brushes the sand off while Steve slowly stands from his position in the sand. Steve can already tell that he isn't going to make it upstairs to his bed, "_Dammit, it's been 6 days since the last one. I was hoping this medication would be it."_

Steve heads for the living room as quickly as he can, completely bypassing Mary in the kitchen. "Gracie, go get Mary, tell her I need her help." Steve's speech is slower than normal as he tells Grace what to do.

Grace nods wide eyed, she's figured out by now that Steve is going to seize. She quickly runs into the kitchen, "Uncle Steve needs your help! I think he's gonna have a seizure."

Mary drops what she's doing and follows Grace into the living room where Steve is laying on his side on the couch. He has his eyes closed and is trying to take deep, even breaths but he's not doing a very good job of it.

"Hey, you're ok Steve. I'm right here and I'm not leaving you. Just breathe. In and out, just like that." Mary says soothingly as she stands next to her big brother on the couch. It's only another minute or two before Steve goes rigid and the seizure starts. Mary continues to stand next to the couch with a gentle hand on Steve's shoulder and another on his side, making sure he doesn't fall off the couch and hurt himself. The couch isn't very wide and it could be detrimental to Steve's healing injuries if he falls off the couch during the seizure.

She glances around for the clock, "It's been 17 seconds." Grace says from her spot at the end of the couch. She's been timing the seizure since it started just like Steve told her to. She's still wide eyed but she isn't crying or panicking. Mary is grateful for that. She doesn't know how she'd deal with her convulsing brother and a panicking eight year old at the same time.

Slowly the convulsions ebb off and Steve is still, breathing raggedly. "How long Gracie?"

"72 seconds." Grace says, relieved that her favorite uncle is no longer seizing.

"_Not too long,"_ Mary thinks, to her knowledge Steve's shortest seizure was a minute and a half. "_Maybe to new medication is helping after all."_

"Now we just need to wait for Uncle Steve to wake up. Are you doing ok, Gracie?"

"Uh huh, Uncle Steve said sometimes it takes a while for him to wake up after it's over."

"That's right; it could be twenty or thirty minutes before he wakes up again." Mary silently thanks her big brother for educating Grace on what to do and what happens when he has a seizure.

It only takes ten minutes for Steve to start coming around again. Grace and Mary are side by side sitting on the coffee table next to the couch waiting for him. He's moving restlessly and his eyes are unfocused.

Grace slides her hand into Steve's lax one. "Hi Uncle Steve. Can you hear me? It's ok, the seizures over and you're doing real good. Can you squeeze my hand?"

Mary looks on with tears in her eyes as Grace talks to Steve and tries to get a response from him. It shocks her to see how grown up Grace can be at times, Mary knows that if she were Grace's age there is no way that she would be as calm and collected and Grace is right now after seeing someone seize.

Steve must finally squeeze her hand because Grace's face lights up. "Hi Uncle Steve! Do you need anything before you go to sleep?"

Steve squeezes her hand again, takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. He manages a whispered "no" but he's not up to saying anything else. His thoughts are jumbled but he's aware of his surroundings again. He had really hoped that Grace wouldn't see him seize but it looks like that happened despite his efforts. Grace and Mary are chattering quietly beside him, he finds it comforting. It doesn't take long for him to drift off to sleep.

"It looks like he's asleep again, Gracie. What do you say you come help me with supper?"

Grace looks at Steve with concern, "Will he be ok by himself?"

"Steve'll be just fine. He's going to sleep for awhile now so he will feel better when he wakes up."

Grace looks a little skeptical but relents after deciding that her favorite uncle is comfortable and sound asleep.

Mary is making tacos for supper so she has Grace tear up some lettuce and grate the cheese for toppings.

-H50-

It's nearly seven when Five-0 decides to call it quits for the day, their case will still be there for them tomorrow and they have exhausted all their leads for today. Danny heads over to Steve's as soon as they lock up the office.

He enters to find Steve sleeping on the couch and giggling coming from the dining room. As soon as he sees Steve conked out he gets the feeling that Steve had a rough afternoon. He hurries into the dining room where Grace and Mary are giggling and eating tacos.

"Danno!" Grace says when she sees her dad enter.

"Hey Brah." Mary greets him.

"Hey, Monkey! Hi Mary. How's it going?" Danny takes a seat next to his daughter at the kitchen table.

"Uncle Steve had a seizure today." Grace says solemnly.

"It was about an hour ago. It only lasted for a little over a minute." Mary explains, "Gracie timed it while I kept Steve from falling off the couch."

"We were building a sandcastle on the beach and Uncle Steve said he wasn't feeling well and needed to lay down so we came inside and I got Mary and then he started to shake so I looked at the clock and started keeping track of how long. Just like Uncle Steve told me to." Grace fills her dad in on the events of the afternoon.

"Good job Gracie." Danny praises his daughter and gives her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Do you want a taco, Danny? There's plenty left." Mary stands, clearing her and Graces plates away.

"Sure. We'll be right back Monkey." Danny stands and follows Mary into the kitchen.

"How did Grace handle it?" Danny asks when they are in the kitchen and out of earshot. He is worried about his little girl's reaction to her favorite uncle's seizure.

"Honestly Danny, she did great. She followed Steve inside came, and got me, and then stood at the end of the couch timing the whole thing. After it stopped, she sat down next to him, grabbed his hand and started talking to him until he finally squeezed her hand. She didn't panic or cry at all. You have such an amazing daughter, Danny."

"She's really special." He agrees and gives Mary a hug. "Steve sat her down and explained everything to her and what she should do if they are alone when he seizes shortly after he got the diagnosis. He did a great job of it."

"I can tell." Mary pulls a plate out of the cupboard and starts warming a tortilla on the stove. Danny grabs a beer from the fridge and proceeds to put together a taco.

"So, this was the first one since he left the hospital wasn't it?"

"Yeah, his last seizure was six days ago. I was hoping that since he hadn't had one for almost a week that the medication was working."

"You said it lasted a little over a minute?"

Mary nods, "Yeah according to Grace it was 72 seconds."

"Well that is definitely the shortest one he's had. Hopefully that means that the medication has at least dialed them down a bit. Plus six days is the longest stretch between seizure's that Steve's had since this all started." Danny says as he scoops salsa onto his taco and licks the remnants off his finger and thumb.

"I hope so. Steve won't handle it well it the meds don't work." Mary says sadly.

"I know." Danny agrees, "But we can't dwell on that. Steve needs us to be strong for him."

Mary nods again, "We should get back to the dining room and see what Gracie is up to."

Danny takes his plate and follows Mary to the dining room. Grace is no longer at the table but a peak around the corner reveals her in the living room sitting on the floor by the coffee table drawing a picture as Steve sleeps on the couch.

Danny decides to let Grace be for the time being and returns to the dining room to eat his super. Danny and Mary sit in silence, lost in their own thoughts while Danny eats.

They move to the living room after Danny is finished eating.

"What are you drawing, Monkey?"

"Me and Uncle Steve surfing. I'm gonna give it to Uncle Steve when he wakes up so he'll feel better." Grace explains as she colors the waves.

"I'm sure it will make him feel much better Gracie." Danny smiles, he's worried about how Grace is dealing with seeing Steve seize but she seems like she is doing ok for now.

Danny kicks back in the recliner and puts a baseball game on tv with the sound on low so as not to disturb the slumbering man on the couch. Mary pulls the rocking chair from the corner so she can see the game better. Unlike Steve, Mary is a big baseball fan. She used to go to Dodger's games all the time with her aunt and uncle in LA when she was a teenager. Tonight, the game is the Anaheim Angels vs. the Red Sox.

They watch the game for about an hour until Danny decides it is time for him and Grace to head home so she can get to bed on time since she has school tomorrow.

"Hey Gracie, it's almost time to go back to your mom's so you need to clean up and then we can get out of Mary's hair for a while."

"But Danno, I want to wait until Uncle Steve wakes up."

"Grace, Remember how Steve said he gets really tired after seizures?" Grace nods yes. "Well he needs a lot of sleep to recover from it so it will probably be really late tonight when he wakes up."

"But I want to see Uncle Steve when he wakes up." Grace whines; it is unusual for her to whine but it happens sometimes.

"I know Grace but you have school tomorrow and your mom is going to have a fit if I don't get you home soon."

"I'll have Steve call you after you get out of school tomorrow. How's that sound Grace?" Mary tries to compromise.

Grace sighs and starts picking up her markers, "I guess that will work."

"Good girl, Monkey."

"Will you give Uncle Steve my drawing please?" Grace asks Mary. Said drawing is lying in the coffee table.

"Of course Grace. And I'll make sure Steve calls you after school tomorrow."

Grace nods and picks up her back pack. Danny ushers her to the front door. "Go get in the car Grace, I need to talk to Mary for a minute."

"I'll come back as soon as I drop Grace off." Danny says as soon as Grace is out of earshot. "Steve is going to freak out about Grace seeing him seize as soon as he wakes up."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Thanks Danny."

"I'll be back in a bit."

TBC

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**A lot of people asked for Steve to have a seizure when it was just him and Grace but I was having trouble with it so this is what I came up with. I hope you all liked this one. The next chapter will show more of Grace's reactions and feelings as her and Danny talk about it, I know she seems a little too ok right now. You'll also see how Steve feels about it.**** On another note, only 4 more days until Season 3!  
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	22. Chapter 22

**WARNING:**** The end of this chapter contains suicidal ideation so if you are uncomfortable with that do no read the last 4 paragraphs. ****  
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**A/N:**I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update this, I had a death in my family and it took me a while to get back in the writing mode. I'm not completely back in writing mode but I really wanted to finish this chapter for you guys. It may be a while before the next update though. I am doing the best I can at writing in my free time but I have been struggling not only with writing but also with finding free time and motivation. I apologize for leaving you all hanging for so long but I do have every intention of completing this story and will post the next chapter as soon as I am able to.**  
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**Chapter 22**

Danny watches Grace as he drives toward Rachel's house. She is abnormally quiet and looks worried.

"You did really well today, Gracie." Danny tells his daughter. "I know Uncle Steve will be really proud of you when he wakes up."

"Are you sure?" Grace asks quietly.

"Of course I am. You did exactly what Steve taught you to and you helped Mary a lot by timing the seizure."

"Do you think Uncle Steve will be mad because I was scared? I know he said he didn't want me to be scared but I was really scared." He lower lip is trembling and Danny can tell she is about to start crying.

He pulls the Camaro over on the side of the road so he can give her his full attention. Danny unbuckles his seat belt and leans over to pull Grace into a hug. "He won't be mad, Gracie. It's ok to be scared when something like that happens. Uncle Steve just didn't want you to be afraid to be with him."

Grace sniffles and shakes her head, "I'm not afraid to be with Uncle Steve. It was just scary."

"I know, Baby. It scares me too."

Grace looks up at her father, "It does?"

"Yeah and it scares Mary, and Chin and Kono. It scares Uncle Steve too. But you know what?" Grace shakes her head. "No matter how scary it is you just have to remember that it won't last long and that Uncle Steve will be ok after he sleeps for a while."

Grace nods, she is still worried about Steve but she feels a little better after talking to her Danno. "Is Uncle Steve's medicine going to work soon, Danno?"

"I hope so Grace. Hopefully it won't be too much longer and our Super SEAL will be back to his annoying normal self."

Grace giggles, "Uncle Steve isn't annoying Danno."

"No? What is he then?"

"He's the best uncle ever." She says so matter of fact.

Grace isn't as down as she was but it's obvious she is still worried and Danny can't blame her for that. He pulls the Camaro back onto the road and resumes the drive to Rachel's. It won't take more than ten minutes to get Grace home but she is going to be late. Danny hopes that Rachel isn't too upset.

Ten minutes later the gate opens just as Danny turns into the entrance. Rachel is outside waiting for them. Danny gets out and helps Grace out, handing her the backpack. He kneels down to give her a hug and a kiss.

"Alright Monkey, go inside and take your shower and get ready for bed ok? I'm going to talk to your mom for a few minutes."

Grace give's her dad another hug, "I love you Danno."

"Love you more." Danny says, kissing her cheek and standing up.

Grace does as she was instructed, pausing briefly for a "Hi Mommy!" and a hug before continuing inside.

"Hey Rachel," Danny says hesitantly.

"You're late Daniel." Rachel says, closing the distance between her and her ex husband.

"I know, I'm sorry. Look Rachel, Grace hung out with Steve and Mary for a while after school, I got called in on a case and you were in that meeting. Steve had a seizure and Grace saw it."

Rachel brings her hand up to cover her mouth, "Oh no! Did Grace handle it ok? Is Steve ok?"

"Grace did great. Mary was with her and she did everything Steve told her to. Mary said she stayed calm and she sat down and talked to Steve until he woke up afterward. She's so amazing Rachel."

Rachel has to smile, despite all her and Danny's differences the one thing they managed to do right was raise their daughter.

"Anyway, Steve is fine; he was still sleeping when we left. Grace didn't want to leave until he woke up though, it scared her to see Steve like that but we talked on the way over here and I think she feels better now. She's still worried about him since he didn't wake up before we left. Mary promised that Steve would call her tomorrow after school."

"Danny, why don't you pick Grace up after school tomorrow so she can see Steve for herself? You can have her for a couple hours and bring her back after supper." Rachel knows how much Grace loves Steve and how close the two have become. She genuinely likes Commander McGarrett and hopes that he recovers fully from this.

Danny is a bit shocked, "Thank you Rachel. Grace is really worried and hopefully seeing Steve tomorrow will make her feel better. I know it will make Steve feel better too. He's going to freak out when he wakes up and realizes Grace was with him."

"How's Steve handling things?" Rachel asks voice full of concern.

"He's trying to keep it together. This was his first seizure in six days, it was also the shortest so hopefully that is a sign the medication is working." Danny rubs a hand over his face, "Look Rachel, I should get going. I promised Mary I would come back to talk to Steve when he wakes up."

"Of course, Daniel; if there is anything I can do to help let me know."

Danny nods, "Thank you, Rachel, for everything. I'll pick Grace up after school and drop her off again after supper." He turns toward the Camaro and waves good bye as he opens the door and gets in.

-H50-

Steve is still sleeping on the couch when Danny returns and Mary is reading a book in the recliner.

"Hey. He hasn't woken up yet?" Danny asks upon entering the living room and seeing Steve in the same position on the couch with an afghan draped over him.

"No, he hasn't even stirred. Hopefully it won't be too much longer. It's been three hours already."

"Rachel is letting me pick Grace up after school tomorrow so she can see Steve."

"Really? How much did you have to beg to make that happen?" Mary knows all about Danny's custody trouble with Rachel.

Danny sinks into the rocking chair, "I actually didn't. She offered. Rachel has met Steve a couple times and he managed to charm her, plus Grace is still worried about him so she figured it would make them both feel better."

"Steve can charm almost anyone." Mary says, "He's always been able to do that, even when he was a kid."

"Why am I not surprised?" Danny laughs. He can just imagine a little Stevie charming the babysitter into letting him stay up late.

"You want a beer?" Mary asks, closing her book.

"Sure."

Mary heads for the kitchen and returns a few minutes later with two beers. She hands one to Danny, keeping the other for herself. Mary flips the tv on, keeping the volume on low and flips through the channels. She finally settles on a channel that is showing The Godfather.

It's another hour before Steve starts to wake up. Mary is dozing lightly in the recliner and Danny is lost in thought while staring at the tv.

Steve wakes slowly, floating in and out for awhile before coming fully awake. He's still tired and recognizes the unique tiredness and achiness that follows a seizure right away. He takes in his surroundings before opening his eyes; he's still lying on the couch on his right side and can hear the low drone of the tv in the background. Steve finally drags his eyes open, he can see Mary asleep in the recliner and Danny staring at the tv but he can tell that Danny isn't actually watching tv. After a moment or two of just laying there, Steve stretches his stiff muscles and sits up.

The movement gets Danny's attention. "Hey! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Ugh." is all Steve can say as he scrubs a hand over his face. His head is pounding with the change in position and the room is spinning. "Oh God. Gracie! Is she ok? Did I scare her away? Where is she?" it all comes out in a rush after Steve realizes that Grace was with him during the seizure."

"Hey, Steve, calm down." Danny soothes, he has moved from the chair over to the couch so he is sitting beside Steve, rubbing his back. "Grace is fine, she's sleeping right now. It's late and I had to take her back to Rachel's. You've been sleeping for four and a half hours."

"I didn't scare her too bad did I?" Steve asks worriedly.

"No, Steve she did great. She stayed calm and did everything you told her to." Mary jumps in; she woke up when Danny first started talking but stayed silent until now. "She did such a great job Steve. You did a really good job explaining everything to her."

"She wasn't scared?"

"More worried than scared, I think." Danny says, "Especially since you didn't wake up before I had to take her back to Rachel. We talked on the way over and seeing you seize did scare her but she handled it really well and she feels better now that we talked about it."

"God, I was hoping she wouldn't have to deal with this. I wanted to get to my room but I could tell I didn't have time."

"Hey, this isn't something you can control Steve. It isn't your fault so don't go guilt tripping yourself. This is something that Grace needs to know about and understand, and it was better for her to see it today since Mary was with the two of you instead of on your own."

"I didn't scare her away?"

"No, she was very insistent that you call her as soon as she is out of school tomorrow but Rachel is letting me get her after school for a few hours tomorrow afternoon. She's really worried about you and she can't wait to see you again."

Steve is sitting forward awkwardly with his elbows on his knees and face buried in his hands. "I hate this; I really thought I wouldn't have any more seizures after the last one in the hospital. Six days seizure free, I thought the medication was working."

"I know Steve but you have to realize that six days is the longest you've had between seizures. It was also the shortest one you've had. I think it's working, Steve. Dr. Freeman may have to adjust the dose again but I think it will work. Just give it time."

Steve just grunts. He doesn't want to get his hopes up on the medication working. It will just make it that much worse when they decide medication won't help.

"Steve, I know this seizure was disappointing but you can't give up yet. I know they'll find a medication that works for you. You just need to give it time and don't give up hope." Mary says.

"I don't know, Mary. The more seizures I have the less likely it is that the meds will work. I'm just so frustrated with it right now."

"I know it's frustrating, Steve but you can't give up yet. And no matter what happens we are always going to be here for you."

"Thanks Mary." Steve says. He stands and gives her a hug before excusing himself to the bathroom.

"He's struggling with this." Mary says after the bathroom door closes.

"His whole life has been turned upside down. I'd be more concerned if he were being stoic about it. At least he is acknowledging it and not ignoring it."

"That's true. But epilepsy is hard to ignore. I'm just afraid of what he might do if the meds don't work after all. His state of mind isn't exactly good right now."

"It won't come to that, Mary. Steve isn't one to choose the easy way out like that."

"I hope you are right." Mary says, "I'm going to heat something up for him to eat. He's due for his next dose soon and if he takes it on an empty stomach he gets sick sometimes."

Mary busies herself in the kitchen, heating up leftover chicken noodle soup. Steve picks at the soup; his appetite tends to disappear after a seizure so he eats just enough to ward off the nausea from his medication.

Steve still feels exhausted and his head is pounding in tune with his heart, he's dizzy and his muscles ache. As soon as he takes his medication he heads upstairs to get ready for bed. It is slow going for Steve on the stairs; he has a hard time picking his left foot up all the way in order to clear the stair so he has to take them one at a time. Steve's leg muscles are burning by the time he is at the top. Normally stairs aren't that much of a challenge for him but he's weaker after a seizure. He heads straight for his bedroom to change clothes. He pulls on a pair of sleep pants and sheds his t-shirt before lying down on the bed.

Despite how exhausted he is, he can't seem to fall asleep. He tosses and turns for a while until he decides to get up and head down stairs for a drink of water and maybe a snack since his stomach is no longer churning.

Steve cracks the door open to check if Mary and Danny are still awake. He doesn't know why but does not want either of them to know he is awake right now. He is a grown man but feels a bit like a teenager sneaking out of the house at night after his parents went to bed. Steve quietly makes his way downstairs; he stops in the kitchen for a glass of water and a banana before heading out to sit on the lanai.

The fresh air helps to clear his head but it has cooled down a lot from how warm it was this afternoon. Steve shivers in the gentle breeze and wishes he would have put a shirt on before leaving his room. Despite the cold, he sits out there for nearly half an hour until he can't stand the shivering and goose bumps any longer.

He makes his way back up to his room as quietly as he can with a bum leg and a cane. He doesn't want to wake up Mary or Danny, who Steve is sure is sleeping in his childhood bedroom. Even after the fresh air and snack he can't fall back to sleep. Steve sits on the edge of the bed thinking about what his future holds.

He can't help but feel so defeated by the epilepsy, especially after the seizure today. The fact that it had been so long between seizures just makes the fact that he had another one worse and harder to deal with. Steve was starting to believe that there may be an end in sight with this, that he could be back at work in full capacity in six to seven more months. Steve thinks this is what he gets for letting his guard down and getting his hopes up. Life has never seemed to work out the way he wanted it to in the past so why should now be any different?

Steve doesn't know what he will do if the meds don't work. He can't imagine living the rest of his life like this, unable to work, drive, surf, do most of the things he loves. It doesn't look like he will have a choice though. Technically he does have a choice but the alternative choice isn't very appealing. Steve eyes the gun safe sitting on the floor of his closet.

He could easily put an end to the epilepsy with the pull of the trigger but he doesn't think he'll be able to do that. He's had friends who have committed suicide and it is something that Steve has never really understood. He hasn't been able to come up with a scenario where taking his own life would be the better alternative to living because no matter how rough things get, they always seem to get better if you fight on. PTE isn't something that will get better though. Suicide isn't something that Steve has ever contemplated before and he pushes the thought away quickly, disgusted with himself for even thinking about it right now, there is still a chance, however small, that the meds will work; and until he hears the words that there aren't any more options suicide isn't an option.

He feels selfish and sick for even thinking about it. He has never understood why people decide the best thing to do is take their own life. He thinks it is a selfish thing to do, to take yourself away from your loved ones and friends like that. Even if the epilepsy can't be controlled, Steve doesn't think he would be able to go through with it. He can't do that to Mary or Danny or Grace. It would kill them if Steve went through with it, which is why Steve needs to bury these thoughts immediately.

Steve stands and busies himself with some of his stretches and exercises in the hopes of clearing his head and wearing himself out enough to be able to finally sleep. He feels so exhausted right now but sleep just won't come. He has too many thoughts buzzing around inside his head that he can't relax enough to sleep. Hopefully the exercises will clear his mind enough to allow for sleep.

TBC


	23. Chapter 23

I finally got this chapter finished, it ends kind of abruptly but I couldn't figure out a decent way wrap up this chapter so I quit while I was ahead. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, hopefully it won't take too long but school is taking up all my time and as much as I hate it, it has to come first so I can graduate in May and get out into the real world. I have had enough of school and just want to be done with it...Anyway, sorry for the rant, it has been a stressful day/week so to make myself feel better I finished this and posted it for all of you. Your reviews and PMs make my day and I hope I didn't forget to reply to anyone. Thank you dear readers for sticking with this. And now onto the next chapter.

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**Chapter 23 **

Steve struggles through physical therapy the next day. He didn't get much sleep the night before so he's even more tired than usual and it makes physical therapy even more challenging because he just doesn't have the energy for it today. Stacy lets him go early so at the moment he is waiting upstairs in the waiting room of Dr. Tyson's office. He hopes he won't have to wait too much longer but he is half an hour early so he may be waiting a while.

He absent mindedly flips through an old Time Magazine that on the side table next to the armchair he is occupying. He is greatly disturbed by his thoughts last night; he hopes Dr. Tyson will be able to help him with it. Steve feels physically ill when he thinks about how he was considering suicide as an option last night.

Fifteen minutes later, he sees the patient before him leave Dr. Tyson's office. Less than five minutes later Dr. Tyson comes out and calls Steve into the office. Steve tosses the magazine back on the side table and follows Dr. Tyson into his office.

"How are things going, Steve?" Dr. Tyson asks Steve as Steve sits in the cushy armchair and Dr. Tyson sits in the chair across from him.

"Not too good." Steve says as he picks at a loose thread on his shorts. "I had another seizure last night."

"Was this the first one since you got home?"

"Yeah, the first one in six days. Gracie was with me. Danny had a case and her mom was in a meeting so she was staying with Mary and me until Danny got off work. We were outside on the beach; I was helping her build a sandcastle when the aura started. I hoped I would be able to get to my room so Gracie wouldn't see but I only had time to get to the couch. She saw the whole thing."

"How did she handle it?"

"I was still out when Danny had to take her home so I haven't talked to her but Mary and Danny said she did really well. She got Mary and then she timed it for her. I don't remember this but after the seizure was over Grace sat down and talked to me until I woke up. Danny said it scared her but she didn't want to go home until I woke up."

"That's understandable that she didn't want to leave you. It is scary to watch a person have a seizure, even if you aren't eight years old. From what you said it sounds like Grace handled it well considering how young she is. You two are close right?"

"Yeah, she calls me Uncle Steve."

"It's a natural reaction for Grace to be worried or scared after seeing someone she cares about have a seizure but it sounds like she handled it well. It also sounds like you did a good job of explaining it all to her a few weeks ago. I wouldn't be too worried about her, Steve. Kids bounce back fast and after what you have told me about her, I don't think you need to worry about her not wanting to be around you."

Steve sighs, "I know, I just wish she didn't have to see it. She's too young and innocent to have to deal with this."

"I know, but there is nothing you can do about it except reassure her that you are ok and answer any questions she has as well as you can."

Dr. Tyson lets Steve ponder that for a moment before moving on. "What else is bothering you, Steve?"

Steve sighs, he doesn't really want to talk about everything else but he knows it is going to eat him up inside if he doesn't say something about his thoughts, "I can't help but thinking that the medication won't work. I was starting to think that maybe I wouldn't have any more seizures. Last night after I went to bed I couldn't fall asleep. I kept thinking about how the meds won't work and how I won't be able to go back to Five-0." Steve takes a deep breath, unable to continue.

Dr. Tyson is pretty sure he knows where Steve is going with this. It's concerning but it is also a common reaction to something like this. He decides to wait for Steve to say something before he broaches the subject.

Steve takes another deep breath, "I was sitting on the side of my bed, the closet door was open and I was staring at my gun safe. I kept thinking about how easy it would be to put an end to the epilepsy with the pull of the trigger." Steve finally gets it out and saying it aloud makes him feel sick. He wants these thoughts to go away but they won't.

"Is that what you want, Steve?" Dr. Tyson asks.

"No." Steve says forcefully. "I don't want to kill myself. I just want to go back to my life the way it was. I know that might not be possible and it pisses me off."

"That's understandable. Can you tell me the reason's you don't want to commit suicide, Steve?"

"Mostly because of Mary, Danny, and Grace. It would kill them if I did. Mary and I are just starting to get close again and Danny is my best friend. Grace would be heartbroken. No matter how much it sucks for me, I could never put them through that. It's selfish and they still need me. Mary, Danny, and my team have done so much for me, not only in the last month but in the last year. I haven't really had a family since I was 16 and my mom was killed. They gave me that when I came back."

Dr. Tyson nods, glad that his patient has such a strong support system. "I'm glad you realize how much it would affect your friends. It's also good that you have such a strong support system. Don't push them away, Steve."

"I don't think Danny would let me push him away if I tried." Steve says with a small grin.

"Good. Are there any other reasons or just your friends?"

Steve sighs again, "I know that the longer I go having uncontrolled seizures the less likely it is that there is a medication that will control them but until Dr. Freeman tells me there aren't any more options for controlling the seizures I don't have a choice but to keep up with the meds and work on my rehab."

"And if you find out they can't be controlled?" Dr. Tyson prods.

Steve shrugs slightly, "I don't know. I'll figure something out I guess…suicide would be the easy way out but I've never taken the easy way on anything before, I'm not going to start now."

"That's good to hear Steve. Right now, I don't think you're a danger to yourself or others. I'm going to prescribe an antidepressant for you though. I know you have been fighting taking one, but I think you will really benefit from it and it probably won't be for the long term that you have to take it."

Steve sighs yet again but relents. "Ok. I just want those thoughts to stop. I don't want them in my mind anymore."

"I know, Steve. The antidepressant will help with that but it won't make them go away completely. What I want you to do when those thoughts pop up is think about what you have to live for. Think about spending time with your sister or something special you and Grace do together. Bring up a happy memory or something."

"Alright, I can do that."

"Good." Dr. Tyson finishes scribbling out a prescription and hands it to Steve. "Take this once a day, every day. It may take a couple weeks for you to have the full benefit of the pills but it will help. If need be we can adjust the dose too."

"Will they make me foggy?" Steve asks, he hates when the medications he has to take fog up his brain and thoughts.

Dr. Tyson shakes his head, "No they won't fog up your thoughts, you may feel tired or less energetic for a while but it won't last."

"I guess I can deal with that." Steve says, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Should I start today or wait until tomorrow morning?"

"Take one after you fill the prescription then tomorrow you can start taking them in the morning. That's all for today Steve, I'll see you in a couple days. If you need to talk for whatever reason, you have my number. Don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks." Steve says, standing and heading towards the door. He will have Mary stop at the pharmacy for him on their way home. Steve walks down to the main floor of the hospital. Mary is just pulling into a parking space as Steve exits the building.

-H50-

As soon as Steve finishes lunch, Mary makes him go upstairs and lay down. She can see how much of a struggle it is for him to keep his eyes open after rehab this morning. She knows he didn't sleep well last night. She didn't either and heard him wander downstairs at one in the morning last night.

Steve doesn't put up much of a fight after Mary promises to wake him up before Danny and Grace arrive. At this point sleeping in his bed is more comfortable than on the couch because of his neck. After he woke up from the seizure, Steve doesn't think that he got more than three or four hours of sleep last night, the anticonvulsant he is taking makes him tired too so a nap is something he definitely needs as much as he hates it. Dr. Freeman assures him though that the side effects from the drugs will go away after taking it for a few weeks.

Mary wakes him up a couple hours later. Danny and Grace should be there in about half an hour so that gives Steve plenty of time to wake up and prepare himself for seeing Grace again. He hopes she isn't afraid of being with him now. According to Danny that should be the least of his fears but he can't help but be afraid.

Steve makes his way downstairs to the kitchen after making a pit stop in the bathroom. He fills a glass of water and takes his next dose of anticonvulsant. He is just walking into the living room when Grace bursts through the front door with Danny in her wake.

"Uncle Steve!" Grace yells and rushes toward him. Steve has just enough time to brace himself for the hug as she throws her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're ok!"

"Hey Gracie!" Steve says, wrapping his arms around her to return the hug. "I'm ok because of your help yesterday." He tells her as he pulls away from the hug.

Grace just gives him a skeptical look.

"It's true." Steve says. "Let's go sit on the couch." He takes her hand and leads her over to the couch were she settles in on his lap, this way Steve can look at her without awkwardly twisting his body.

"I'm really proud of you Gracie. You did a really good job helping me yesterday. You got Mary when I asked you to and then you timed the seizure for her. That helped Mary a lot. And then when you sat down and talked to me after it was over, it really helped make me feel better." The last part is a small lie because Steve has no recollection of Grace talking to him but he knows it helped even if he doesn't remember it or he knows that it would have if he were aware of it anyway.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. I know it was scary but you did such a great job. Thank you for helping me." Steve says sincerely.

Grace seems to accept what he says. "You're welcome, Uncle Steve. It was really scary but I tried to be brave."

"You were so brave Gracie. But it is ok to be scared when I have a seizure. Just remember that when it's over I'll be fine again."

"Does it scare you too, Uncle Steve?"

"Yeah, Gracie, it does. But you know what?" Grace shakes her head, "I know that you and Danno and Mary will take good care of me so it's less scary." Steve wraps his arms around her little body in a hug. "It makes me feel a lot better when I know one of you is around." Steve admits to Grace. He normally wouldn't be that candid with her but in light of recent events he thinks honesty is the best policy right now.

"I'm glad we make you feel better Uncle Steve. I hope you get all the way better soon."

"Thank you, Gracie. I hope so too. What do you say we go finish that sandcastle? It's still standing from yesterday."

Grace nods enthusiastically, "Yeah!"

"Alright, go change out of your uniform into play clothes and we'll go outside ok?"

Grace nods again and rushes off to change clothes.

"Thank you for bringing her over here again, Danny."

"You're welcome." Danny knows that Steve is saying thank you for more than just bringing Grace over but he also knows that he doesn't need t say more.

Grace returns a minute or two later, "Come on Uncle Steve! Let's go outside."

"Coming Gracie." Steve get's off the couch and follows Grace outside to the beach. Danny was able to take the rest of the afternoon off so he and Mary follow Grace and Steve outside to help with the sandcastle.

Chin and Kono come over later with steaks to grill for supper. They also have twice baked potatoes and a Caesar salad. Chin had texted Danny to let them know that they were on their way over so he had the grill lit and ready for the steaks as soon as they arrived. It was a relaxing evening for all of them but especially Mary and Steve. The siblings needed that time to be able to sit back and just relax without having to worry about anything.

Mary is grateful that Steve put together such a great team when he started Five-0. She doesn't know what either of them would do if they didn't have these people in their lives, especially right now. She is glad that Steve seems to be relaxing and enjoying himself tonight. She noticed that he's been stressed and down since the seizure last night. She hopes that the good mood continues although she knows that it probably won't. She read the papers that the pharmacist put in the bag with Steve's latest prescription, the depression won't get better right away. Mary can't imagine how frustrating and scary all this must be for her big brother. He has always been the strong one in the family. Always trying to do everything he can to help her and other people. She owes him so much for everything he has done for her, bailing her out of jail and getting her into a rehab program, even if it didn't quite work. She just wishes there's more she can do for him.

TBC


	24. Chapter 24

******I finally managed to finish this chapter. I really struggled with this one for some reason so I apologize if it seems choppy. School is about to get really crazy in the next few weeks as finals week approaches but I will do my best to get another chapter out soon. I'm hoping over Thanksgiving weekend I will get some time to write. I am thinking that there will only be a few more chapters after this one. I really want to wrap it up by the new year or shortly after as December will mark a year since I started this fic. Anyway, thank you all for sticking with this, I want to say thank you to everyone who has left a review, I haven't been very good about replying lately but I want you all to know that I really appreciate the comments. They motivate me to write more and your feedback gives me ideas on where to go with this and how to improve it. Thank you. **

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**Chapter 24**

Steve get's the cast on his arm off the next day. It feels great to have the itchy cast off but his wrist is stiff and his forearm muscles have atrophied slightly; his orthopedist assures him that his muscle will return quickly now that his arm is no longer immobile. The orthopedist also takes an x-ray of Steve's fractured vertebra in his neck. It healing but not very fast, so Steve will have to wear the neck brace for another six to eight weeks. He isn't very happy with the prospects of another two months in the brace but it is something that he will have to deal with. The orthopedist sends Steve off to physical therapy where Stacy gives him some exercises to help strengthen the muscles again.

After physical therapy Steve meets with Dr. Freeman for a neuro check. Steve is currently seated on the table in Dr. Freeman's office.

"How are things going since you've been home, Steve?" Freeman asks as he shines a light in Steve's eyes, checking the pupil reaction.

"Ok, I guess. I come for rehab every morning then sleep all afternoon." Steve replies with annoyance.

"You're still healing, Steve. I know physically most of your injuries have healed but you suffered a traumatic brain injury, Steve. You are going to need more rest than usual, I know it annoys you that you sleep so much but your brain is still recovering." He tests the strength in Steve's arm and leg. Steve's arm is back to 100 percent finally; his leg still needs some work. He isn't as reliant on the cane as he was but Stacy won't clear him to walk without it yet. "Everything is looking good. It shouldn't be too much longer before your leg is back to normal. How's your arm feeling?"

Steve rotates his wrist, "Stiff and itchy." He absently scratches the dry skin on his forearm. His skin is dry and a little scaly looking; there is a thin, pink scar on the inside of his forearm a couples inches below the elbow where they inserted the plate and screws. His orthopedist recommended using aloe vera or coconut oil on it to help the dry skin repair itself.

"That's to be expected. I assume Stacy went over some exercises you can do at home for it?"

"Yeah, she showed me several."

Dr. Freeman nods, satisfied at how these things are going for Steve. "Alright, now to the epilepsy, have you had any seizures since you were released?"

"I had one on Tuesday afternoon. That was the only one though. Mary said it only lasted seventy seconds this time."

"Only one?" The surprise on Dr. Freeman's face is evident.

"Yeah. That's a good thing right? It means the medication is working?"

The doctor nods, "It's very encouraging that you have only had one seizure in the last week. I'm going to increase your dose of the anticonvulsant. It's too soon to tell for sure but I do believe that the anticonvulsant is working to at least reduce the frequency and duration of the seizures."

"Do you think there is a chance it will stop them completely?" Steve is a bit afraid of the answer but he has to know.

"It is a possibility but it may be a while before we find the right dosage for that. Or we might have to add another drug into the mix. It is a good sign that the latest anticonvulsant has worked so well but there is also the possibility that it won't get much better than this. You have to keep in mind though that one seizure every week or so is amazing progress considering the frequency of the seizures a couple weeks ago."

Steve sighs, "I know, I just really hope this will stop them completely, even if I have to take medications for the rest of my life."

"That's our goal. We'll just have to see what happens."

Steve leaves the hospital feeling marginally better about his life. He realizes that he still has a long road ahead of him but he's starting to feel like things might be ok. Mary is again waiting for him in the parking lot when Steve leaves the hospital doors. They make a stop at the pharmacy again before making it back to the house.

They eat lunch together before Steve decides it is time for his daily afternoon nap with a sigh of resignation. He wishes that he could forgo the nap but knows how important it is for him to get enough sleep to help reduce the risk for another seizure.

After he wakes up a couple hours later Steve pads downstairs to find Mary. Mary is nowhere to be found in the house. After checking the whole main floor Steve's looks out to the lanai where he sees Mary laying on a towel in the sand down by the water. He decides to let her have some time to herself instead of going down to spend time with her. She has done so much for him so he thinks she deserves some time to herself for a while. He's proud of her for how well she is dealing with everything. She's grown so much and really cleaned up her life in the last few months. He just hopes that she will stay out of trouble now, especially if she wants to go back to school.

Steve grabs a glass of water from the kitchen and wanders into the study. He isn't really sure what to do with himself. He doesn't feel like watching TV and reading still gives him a headache, especially if its small print. Dr. Freeman assures him that will dissipate over time as his brain continues to heal, but for now he has to deal with it. He wanders out to the living room and switches on the TV. He flips through channels and finally stops on a Pawn Stars marathon on the History channel. He watches half heartedly, his mind wandering to what his future holds. He can feel himself slipping into a depression again as he thinks about the long road of recover still ahead of him. He hopes that as the antidepressants starts working the sudden mood swings will stop.

Steve's thoughts are interrupted when Mary comes inside from sunbathing. "Hey big brother. Have a nice nap?"

Steve shrugs slightly, "I guess. Same as always."

"How are you feeling? You seem kinda down."

Steve gives her a half hearted smile, "I'm ok, Mare; just thinking about everything that is still ahead."

"Hey, I know you have a long way to go but you've already made so much progress."

"I know. I just…want to feel normal again."

Mary drops down on the couch next to him, "You will Steve. Just give it time." She says as she squeezes his arm.

They sit in silence for a while before Mary breaks the silence, "What do you want for supper? I was thinking of ordering takeout. We don't have much to make a meal out of. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow."

"Makes no difference to me, order whatever you want." Steve says closing his eyes; he can feel a headache coming on.

"How does Japanese sound?" Mary is concerned with her brother's pliant attitude.

"Fine. You can use my credit card to order."

Mary leaves her brother to brood in silence and goes to the kitchen to order Japanese and make a shopping list for tomorrow.

-H50-

The next few days pass slowly for Steve; he goes through the motions of rehab every morning and his appointments with Dr. Tyson in the afternoon. He spends more time sleeping now than he did before he started taking the antidepressant. Dr. Tyson tells him that drowsiness is a side effect of the new medication and says that the higher dose of the anticonvulsant also factors in to why he's been so tired recently. He assures Steve that as his body adjusts to the medications the tiredness will dissipate.

He has another seizure four days after the last one; it only lasted about a minute and his recovery time was less than four hours. He is getting better but it isn't happening fastest enough for his liking.

Finally about a week and a half after Steve goes home Stacy decides that he can ditch the cane and walk unaided and a week after that she switches him to three days a week for physical therapy instead of five. He likes that he has to go less often because it means he is making progress but he doesn't know what to do with himself of the days that he doesn't have rehab or other appointments with either Dr. Freeman or Dr. Tyson.

Freeman hasn't cleared him to go back to work yet, even for desk duty. And between Mary and his team there is no way that he is even setting foot in the office before Dr. Freeman gives him the ok to get back to work. But if Steve is honest with himself, he knows he isn't physically or mentally ready to be back at work yet, even just for desk duty. Reading small print still gives him a headache and looking at a bright computer screen for more than a few minutes doesn't do his head any favors either. Even just reading and sending text messages on his phone gives him a headache if he does it often enough. Steve hopes it will go away soon, he's utterly and mind-numbingly bored at home. That being said, if he went back to work right now, he would just be utterly and mind-numbingly bored in his office since he can't read which means he can't do paper work.

Steve is also nervous and afraid to go back to work on some level. He doesn't want to get back to work and end up having a seizure in the middle of the office in front of the governor or a witness or anyone who isn't part of his ohana.

He logically knows that the seizures aren't something he should be ashamed of but it is still embarrassing for him nonetheless. Especially if he can't make it to the bathroom before the seizure starts. Sometimes he doesn't have a problem getting there and then to the couch or bed before it starts but that doesn't always happen. Those seizures are the worst for him to deal with emotionally when he wakes up.

He's been working through all this with Dr. Tyson for the last week but he doesn't feel as if he has made much progress. It is still hard for him to open up to the therapist. Over the last couple weeks he's had a couple in-depth conversations with Danny and Mary about his concerns and feelings because he finds it easier to talk to Mary and Danny than Dr. Tyson about some things.

Steve knows he still has a long road ahead of him but for now he is going to push the worries to the back of his mind and focus on enjoying watching Grace and Mary ride the small waves on his private beach. He is sitting in a comfortable lawn chair on the lanai. The warm sun and salty breeze are doing wonders for his state of mind right now. It doesn't take long for him to drift off into a light doze. He is exhausted from rehab this morning and then he had his session with Dr. Tyson and after that he and Mary picked up lunch before picking Grace up from school at one.

It is Danny's day to have Grace but he has to testify in court today so it will be after five before he is done with work. Grace's school let out early for teacher in-service so Steve and Mary volunteered to watch her again.

After a while the two girls return to the lanai to dry off and head inside to fix supper. They decided to let Steve sleep for a little longer since he didn't so much as twitch when they came up to the lanai. The sun has moved enough that most of the lanai is the in the shade now.

Mary and Grace pat out hamburger patties and slice some potatoes to throw on the grill as soon as Danny arrives. Grace also puts together a salad and Mary slices some melon and pineapple. Danny arrives at five thirty and promptly heads to the back to start up the grill. Steve finally wakes up when Danny bangs the gas tanks together for the grill when he puts the empty tank aside and hooks up the full one.

They eat together outside as the sunsets. Danny and Grace head out shortly after supper because Grace has homework and Danny needs to do a load of laundry because he is on his last dress shirt and pair of slacks. Steve heads to bed earlier than normal because he just can't keep his eyes open. Mary stays up until after midnight watching a CSI marathon. Mary is walking from the bathroom to her bedroom when she hears a noise come from Steve's room.

She peaks her head in the door only to realize that she is witnessing her big brother start seizing in his sleep. Mary rushes to the bed. She rolls him on his side in the center of the bed to protect his airway. There isn't anything else she can do until it stops so she just waits it out. Finally after a minute and a half the convulsions ebb off and Steve is left breathing hard and deeply asleep.

Mary checks him over and untangles the sheets from around his legs and waist while she waits for him to wake up. He finally wakes up twenty minutes later.

"Hey bro, can you squeeze my hand Steve?" Mary asks, taking his right hand in hers.

Steve manages to squeeze her hand after a minute or two. "What..?" He is looking at Mary with confusion clouded eyes.

"You're ok, Steve. You had a seizure while you were asleep but you're ok now. Just go back to sleep." Mary continues to reassure her brother until he finally drifts off to sleep again. She hopes that he won't have any more seizures tonight. The one a few minutes ago was the first one he's suffered in five or six days. Mary figures it was probably brought on by the busy day Steve has had today. She really hopes the anticonvulsant will stop the seizures completely rather than just decrease the frequency and duration of them.

Once Mary is sure that Steve is sleeping comfortably she quietly makes her way back to her bedroom. She leaves his door cracked slightly just in case he has another one. Mary is glad tomorrow is Saturday; Steve can stay home for the next two days and not have to deal with rehab or stressful therapy appointments. Hopefully it will give him some time to relax and continue to heal. Mary sighs and climbs into bed, she prays that Steve won't have any more seizures, that the medication is working and that he will get back to normal soon.

TBC


	25. Chapter 25

******Here is the next chapter, I finally had some good writing time after finishing school for the semester. Hopefully updates will come a little bit quicker now that I am on winter break. I want to apologize for any mistakes or typos in this chapter, I wanted to get this posted before Christmas so I didn't proof it that carefully. If you see something that needs to be fixed let me know and I will fix it, constructive criticism welcome.  
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**Merry Christmas and ****Happy Holidays!****  
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**Chapter 25**

Steve wakes up the following morning feeling disoriented. He can tell it is still quite earlier since it's still dark out. He stretches in bed and notices the stiff, sore muscles in his back, arms, and legs. A hazy memory surfaces of Mary telling him he seized in his sleep but he doesn't remember much else. He rolls over and clumsily gets to his feet; he is feeling a little unsteady and uncoordinated as he stumbles to the bathroom.

He takes care of business and splashes some cold water on his face in the hopes that it will help clear his fogged brain. On his way back to his room he glances at the alarm clock on his night stand and is surprised to see that it is only a little after five in the morning; normally he'd be getting up for his swim but since it's Saturday and he doesn't have to be up for anything and can't do his normal exercise routine, he decides to go back to sleep. He lies back down on the bed and does his best to get comfortable. It doesn't take him long to go back to sleep.

Steve wakes up again a few hours later when he hears Mary fumbling around in the kitchen and smells the coffee brewing. He feels better than he did a few hours ago, less fuzzy but still stiff. He stretches his back and legs before he gets up. It's painful but feels good at the same time. He gets out of bed and heads for the bathroom to shower. He replaces the pads in the neck brace and then washes the old ones in the sink before laying them out on a towel to dry. He ventures back to his room and pulls on one of his SEAL t-shirts and a pair of khaki cargo shorts before heading downstairs.

"Morning." Steve says as he snags a coffee cup from the cupboard and heads straight for the coffee maker. Dr. Freeman finally cleared him to drink coffee but he has to watch his caffeine consumption. Same goes for alcohol consumption; he can drink both in moderation. After taking a few sips of coffee he grabs a clean glass and fills it with water so he can take his medications.

"Morning, Steve. How are you feeling this morning?" Mary asks as she cuts up a mango. She is still in her pajamas which consist of a green tank top and pink shorts. Both she and Steve slept late this morning compared to usual, it's after nine already.

"Alright, I guess, a little sore but otherwise ok. What time did it happen?"

"A little after midnight, I was just getting ready for bed when I heard you. It lasted about a minute and a half. You came around about twenty minutes later."

"Yeah, I kind of remember you telling me to go back to sleep. What's on your agenda for the day?"

Mary shrugs, "Not much, grocery shopping then I think I'm going to hit up the library since I finished my book last night. Do you want to come?"

"No thanks, I just downloaded a new audio book; I'll be good for a while. Do you want some toast?" Steve asks as he puts two slices of bread in the toaster. He's been listening to a lot of Tom Clancy books and just downloaded _The Hunt for Red October_; he's seen the movie but never read the book. Reading isn't something that he has had a lot of time for in the past, he was so busy with classes when he was at the Academy and then between BUD/S and SEAL training along with missions and Naval Intelligence reading for leisure wasn't something he did often. Steve is also reluctant to go out in public right now, he doesn't want to go out and then have a seizure in the middle of the grocery store or the library or something.

"Sure." Steve adds two more slices and pushes the lever down. "Raspberry or Grape jelly?" Mary asks even though she already knows the answer.

"Raspberry." Steve answers, ever since he was a little kid and accidently snorted some up his nose when he was laughing at Mary, he has hated grape jelly. Mary thinks his aversion to it is hilarious and likes annoying him with the question every morning.

Steve spreads peanut butter and raspberry jam on his toast before spreading Mary's with peanut butter and grape jelly. Mary brings the bowl of cut fruit to the table and they eat their breakfast in silence. When they finish, they clear the table and Steve helps her do the dishes and load up the dishwasher.

After breakfast Steve heads out to the lanai with his iPad while Mary heads for the library and grocery store. He has his earbuds in and is engrossed in _The Hunt for Red October_ so he doesn't hear Danny enter the house or come out to the lanai to join him an hour later.

Danny takes a seat in the lawn chair next to Steve and quietly observes the man. Steve has his earbubs in and his eyes closed, to Danny he looks totally relaxed, a look he has hardly seen on Steve since the accident.

"Hey, Steve." Danny tries to get his attention. Steve doesn't appear to hear him so he tries again a little louder. Steve still doesn't acknowledge his presence and Danny finds it amusing that Steve, who is always aware of his surroundings, is completely oblivious to him right now. He decides that he will let Steve be for now and just relax for a bit. Danny hasn't had much time to just relax, between Five-0, Steve, Grace, and his lack of sleep lately.

Danny sits back and studies Steve's profile. He's finally managed to put most the weight he lost back on so he is no longer looking so gaunt. He is still on the pale side but his tan is starting to return since he spends most of the afternoons outside on the lanai if he isn't sacked out on the couch. The pink scars on the left side of his face have faded into a dull pink; they probably won't even be visible in a few more months. If it weren't for the neck brace, Steve would look totally healthy and whole. Danny is glad that Steve is looking and doing so much better, now if only the medications would get the PTE under control and everything would be right again.

Danny watches silently as Steve reaches for the glass of water on the side table and nearly jumps out of his chair when he notices Danny sitting beside him. The plastic cup slips out of his hand and spills all over the table.

Steve yanks the earbuds out, "What the hell, Danny?"

Danny chuckles in amusement, "I tried to get your attention but you were too absorbed in whatever you're listening too."

"You did not." Steve says petulantly as he hits the pause button on his iPad. He can't believe he let his guard down enough for Danny to sneak up on him like that.

"Did too, called your name like four times. What are you listening too anyway?"

"_The Hunt for Red October._"

"Of course." Danny says like that explains everything. Which considering how much Steve likes guns and blowing things up, Tom Clancy books make sense.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have Grace this weekend?"

"She's at her friend Laura's birthday party today. She's having a birthday luau. I'll pick Grace up later this afternoon. Thought I'd come bug you for a while. Where's Mary?"

"She's getting groceries and going to the library." Steve says. They fall into a comfortable silence after that; both getting lost in their own thoughts for a while.

Steve finally breaks the silence, "I had another seizure last night."

"How long was it?" Danny questions; studying Steve, he looks a bit tired no worse for wear and he surprisingly doesn't seem all that upset about it like he usually does. He just keeps staring off at the ocean.

"Minute and a half; happened in my sleep. Mary was getting ready for bed a little after midnight when she heard me."

"Has Dr. Freeman said anything about the medication?"

"No, he upped my dose after the first one I had at home but he hasn't changed it since, says it is still too early to tell if the meds will stop the seizures completely. The one last night was the first in six days. I think it's helping since they aren't happening as often and all of them have been less than two minutes but I'm afraid this is as good as it will get."

"You can't keep thinking like that Steve. Dr. Freeman said it could take several months to figure out the right medication and dose. It hasn't even been two months since this all started Steve. Don't give up yet."

Steve sighs, "I haven't Danny; it's just that the longer it takes to find the rights meds, the harder it gets to keep believing it'll work."

"I know Steve, just don't give up yet. We are all pulling for you and I have a good feeling about this. Give it more time and you'll see."

Steve can see the sincerity on Danny's face so he doesn't argue about it again.

-H50-

Steve spends the weekend lazing around the house, listening to his audio book and napping intermittently. By the time he has to go for therapy Monday morning, he is feeling relaxed and energized. Apparently a relaxing weekend around the house is what he needed to get out of the funk he'd fallen into.

He starts out Monday morning with Stacy for physical therapy for a couple hours. He's still working on getting the strength back in his leg but the major focus is to get rid of the limp he has. It isn't a big limp but it is enough that it's noticeable. Stacy doesn't think it will take much longer before Steve is back to one hundred percent, maybe a few more weeks. But by the time he is done with therapy for his leg he will be back for some therapy for his neck. After being immobilized for nearly three months he will need some pt to get the strength and range of motion back.

Dr. Tyson calls Steve into his office as soon as he arrives. Steve sits in his usual arm chair next to the window with Dr. Tyson across from him.

"How are things going at home Steve?" Dr. Tyson usually starts with a question similar to his every time.

"Boring." Steve states flatly. He has had enough of medical leave from work.

"How so? What have you been doing outside of rehab?"

"Not much. I get home from the hospital; I eat lunch, and then take a nap. When I'm awake I sit out on the lanai or listen to audio books. Reading still gives me a headache and day time TV sucks, not that I am much of a TV watcher anyway. I'm sick of not being able to do anything."

"Do you and Mary spend time together?"

Steve shrugs slightly, "I've been trying to teach her how to play chess, but that isn't going so well." Steve smiles thinking about Mary's names for the various pieces. "We play cards sometimes, mostly when Grace is with us. We usually have meals together, sometimes if I'm awake I'll help her with it if she doesn't shoo me away first. We kind of just do our own thing though otherwise."

"How come? I thought you wanted to get closer to your sister?"

Steve huffs out a laugh, "Believe me Doc, compared to how we used to be, we're close now. We actually talk. Before this we would speak to each other when we needed something. When Mary came back to the island a few months ago, it was the first time we'd seen each other in probably ten years. I thought the purpose of me seeing you was to help me deal with the epilepsy, not talking about my relationship with my sister?"

"Alright, have you had any recent seizures?" Dr. Tyson asks as he jots down a note on Steve's chart.

"Friday night I had one in my sleep, Mary heard it when she was getting ready for bed. It was only a minute and a half long. That was the last one I had and the first in five days."

"It seems like the medication is knocking down the frequency and length. That is encouraging."

"I guess." Steve says with no conviction.

"Have you had any more thoughts on ending things, Steve?"

Steve is quiet for a few minutes before answering, "Sometimes, after a seizure I think about it. I don't want to, but the thoughts come and won't leave. It isn't happening as often as it was though. After they start, I do like you said and start thinking about what I have to live for and they go away after a while. "

"And you're still taking the antidepressant?"

"Yeah, I don't really think about wanting to kill myself, it's more that the idea is there and won't leave. If that makes any sense?" Steve is at a loss as to how to explain what is going on in his head right now, he hopes that Dr. Tyson can discern what he is saying.

Dr. Tyson nods and tries to clarify, "You aren't thinking about how but the idea is there even if it isn't something you want to do?"

"Yeah." Steve is relieved Dr. Tyson understands.

"I'm glad you are still taking the antidepressant, I can see some improvement in your mood already; but I want you to remember that the thoughts won't go away right away, Steve. I wouldn't worry about them too much, I know you feel terrible for having those thoughts to begin with but they are a natural reaction to something like what you are going through. I don't think you need to worry about them though, it is pretty clear that you aren't actually suicidal, despite your thoughts on the matter."

Steve is glad to hear that. The conversation turns to Steve's coping mechanisms. He has been working on the meditation techniques that Dr. Tyson started him on back in the hospital. He has improved at it but still has a hard time clearing his mind completely; Steve does feel like it helps him a little though. Mostly he thinks that talking with Danny and Mary about everything is what has helped him the most. Dr. Tyson suggests trying a support group or talking with others who have PTE too. He gives Steve a list of online forums that Steve can check out and talk with others on; Steve isn't so sure about it but is willing to at least browse the websites, even if he doesn't interact.

"Have you thought about going back to work, Steve?"

"I don't know, Dr. Freeman hasn't cleared me for it and he hasn't given any indication of when he might."

"But what about you? Do you feel ready?"

Steve's quiet, in all honesty he knows he isn't ready for work, even if it is just desk duty. He just shrugs, not willing to admit that he is afraid of going back.

"I'm sensing that you have some reservations about going back to work." Steve still doesn't respond. "You're afraid of having a seizure in the office." They are back to playing who can out stubborn who into talking first.

Steve finally decides that maybe if he cooperates more with Dr. Tyson, he might let him go early; Steve has had enough of this session and wants to go home to take a nap. "The only people who know about the PTE are my team, my sister, and Grace and Rachel. It's not something I want the whole island to know about, especially a suspect or witness. Not to mention the fact that I still can't read or work on the computer without feeling like my head is gonna explode or like I'm gonna hurl; so I wouldn't be able to do anything at work anyway."

"Do you interview a lot of witnesses at the office?"

"Not really, every now and then they will come with info that they thought of after the initial interview or someone will wander in to make an inquiry but that doesn't happen very often."

"What about suspects? Are they in the main part of the office frequently?"

"No, we usually take them straight to the interrogation room."

"So your fear of having someone outside of your friends see you have a seizure isn't really something you need to worry about in the office then."

"I guess not. But I still wouldn't be able to do anything in the office."

"Have you talked to Dr. Freeman about the continued problems with reading?"

"Yeah he said it would take a couple more weeks to go away; said a fifty pound boulder to the face will do that to a person."

"I think as soon as Dr. Freeman clears you for desk duty you are free to go back to work as soon as you feel ready; having something like that to do will help you get a normal routine going and help you cope with things, even if you just go in for half a day at first."

"Are we done now?" Steve asks glancing at the clock; he's had enough of this and needs to get out.

Dr. Tyson can see that he isn't going to get anything else out of Steve so he nods and tells Steve that he will see him Wednesday at the same time.

-H50-

The rest of the week passes much the same for Steve but he has noticed that he isn't feeling as tired and worn out as he has been after rehab, he is napping less and has noticed that he can read for an hour or two before he starts to feel sick. He thinks he is finally starting to get better. He has another appointment with Dr. Freeman on Thursday afternoon. Dr. Freeman adds another anticonvulsant medication to the one that Steve is already taking. He is supposed to take it every morning and evening with his other pill and still take the first medication three times a day.

Dr. Freeman also tells Steve that if things continue to improve he can go back to work soon. Half days at first and after a few weeks he can start working full days on restricted duty.

For now, Steve continues to go to physical therapy three days a week. Now that Grace is out of school for the summer, she spends the afternoons that Danny is supposed to have her with Steve and Mary. Steve is glad for the distraction when Grace is with them, it gives him something to do other than sleep or listen to his audio books, even if it is just to sit on the beach and watch her play in the water or build sandcastles with her.

Right now, Steve is sitting at the dining room table with Grace and Mary playing Texas Hold 'em with piles of Tootsie Rolls. Grace is beating both Steve and Mary badly, Mary is down to five Tootsie Rolls and Steve has eight while Grace has the remainder of the two pound bag of candy.

Danny walks in carrying three boxes of pizza, "Are you cleaning them out, Gracie?" Chin and Kono aren't far behind him.

"Uh huh, Uncle Steve and Aunt Mary aren't very good at poker." She states as she pulls in what is left of the siblings piles of candy.

"That's my girl." Danny says stopping to give her a kiss on the top of her head. He's had a long day at work and is glad to be done for the weekend. He hopes Five-0 doesn't get called out on a case.

"I think it's because you, Miss Gracie, are a card shark, not that Mary and I suck at poker."

Grace just shrugs and smiles as she unwraps a piece of her winnings.

"Alright you three put the candy and cards away and come eat supper." Danny says as he pulls out plates and silverware for the pizza. Since it is Friday night and none of them have to be at work in the morning, they migrate out to the back yard. Grace, Kono, Mary, and Chin all do a little surfing before the sunsets while Danny and Steve watch from the beach. Danny and Steve build a fire in the fire pit on the beach as the wait for the water goers to come in.

"Danno! Can we make s'mores? Please?" Grace asks as she runs up to her dad and gives him a big wet hug, making sure to drip all over him.

"Some more what, Grace?" Steve asks with a confused expression on his face. He laughs at Graces look of horror when she thinks that her favorite uncle doesn't know what a s'more is. When she realizes that he was joking she decides he needs a wet hug too and crawls up on his lap to make sure he gets extra wet. "I don't know if we have any marshmallows or chocolate, Gracie. You'll have to ask Mary." Steve says as he tickles her.

Grace laughs as she tries to escape the tickling. She finally gets away after saying she needs the bathroom between giggles. Grace runs into the house after Mary and returns a few minutes later with all the fixings for s'mores.

It's late by the time they have the fire put out and Chin and Kono head out. Grace has been asleep in Steve's lap for the last hour after she finally crashed from her sugar high caused by too many marshmallows. Danny takes Grace and carries her up to the spare bedroom for the night. Danny has had enough to drink that he doesn't want to drive home so he and Grace will be crashing at the McGarrett's tonight.

Steve takes his nightly dose of medication and falls asleep trying to remember when the last time was that he felt this good and happy. He thinks that maybe things are finally starting to look up for him.

TBC


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** I'm really sorry it has taken me so long to update. I hope I haven't lost you all with the break. I had a major case of writer's block for a while. I'm back at college now so I don't have a lot of time for writing but I try to get in as much as I can between preparing to take the two biggest tests of my life, homework, and trying to decide where I want to live and work after I graduate.

I made this one pretty long to make up for the gap between updates. Probably only a few chapters and an epilogue left of this. I hope you will all stick with me until the end.

**A/N 2:** Apparently this chapter isn't showing up for a lot of people so I'm reposting it. I hope this works for all of you who couldn't see it before!

**Chapter 26**

Saturday Chin, Kono, Danny and Grace spend the whole afternoon and evening at the McGarrett house. They spend the afternoon in water, surfing and swimming while Steve and Danny sit on the beach "supervising". They grill hamburgers for supper and after the sun sets they gather inside to watch Captain America. Grace doesn't last more than ten minutes into the movie before she is sacked out on the couch between Steve and Kono.

Sunday morning finds Mary and Danny trying to convince a reluctant Steve to go out for lunch with them.

"Come on Steve, it will be good for you to get out of the house." Danny says.

"You guys go ahead. I'm not really hungry."

"Steve, the only time you leave here is when you are at the hospital for rehab. You haven't been anywhere but the house or the hospital since before the accident. It'll be good for you."

"I don't want to go." Steve states vehemently.

"Why not, Steve?" Danny asks.

"Danny, I'm the head of the Governor's Task Force. What if I have a seizure out in public? It'll be all over the news and everyone on the island will know about it. I don't want people outside of our ohana to know about the epilepsy."

"I get that Steve. But you can't stay hidden in the house forever. You can't let the PTE rule your life and keep you from living your life. You have to go out at some point. Besides, all of your seizures since you have been home have been in the late afternoon or evening. If you go out now, you have a smaller chance of having a seizure."

"How about we go to Rainbow Drive-in, we can go in to order and then eat in the car?" Mary tries to compromise. She thinks that maybe starting small like that will get Steve to agree.

Steve is quiet for awhile. On one level he knows Danny is right about not letting the PTE rule his life but at the same time he doesn't want to risk having a seizure in public and have the whole island talking about him. Leaving the house is tempting, he is getting tired of being in the house all the time but is nervous to leave.

"Fine, we go in to order and then eat in the truck." Steve finally concedes. He then goes upstairs to change clothes; he is still wearing the athletic shorts he slept in and an old t-shirt.

Steve emerges a few minutes later wearing jeans and a navy polo; he figures that he may be a little less recognizable if he wears jeans instead of his typical cargo pants, it is worth a shot anyway just in case. They pile into his truck, Danny drives, Steve sits shot gun, and Grace and Mary are in the back seat.

They go inside to order and then surprisingly Steve decides they should sit at a picnic table outside. The restaurant is shockingly not busy, there are maybe four or five other people eating there. Steve figures they beat the after church rush since it is only eleven a.m., not to mention that there is a big art festival nearby with lots of local food going on this weekend that always draws a big crowd.

It doesn't take long for them to get their food and settle in at a picnic table outside. Grace accidently spills her lemonade so Danny takes her to get a new one. "Can we get shave ice after lunch, Danno?" Grace asks as they walk back to the table.

"I don't know, Monkey. You'll have to ask Uncle Steve if he wants to go." Danny knows that if Grace asks Steve he won't be able to say no. He just hopes that it doesn't backfire.

It is almost to the end of the meal when Grace finally voices her question, "Can we get shave ice at Kamekona's, Uncle Steve?" Grace makes sure to use her best puppy dog eyes and look as cute as she possibly can.

Steve glances at Danny and has a feeling he's been set up but one glance back at Grace and he knows he can't deny her request for shave ice. He supposes that he can manage a few minutes at Kamekona's; getting out of the house for a while feels good despite his initial reservations. He's still nervous about having a seizure in public but he's starting to relax ever so slightly. "Sure, Gracie, we can probably get some shave ice as long as it's ok with Danno."

The way Danny smiles and agrees that shave ice is a good idea confirms to Steve that he was set up by his partner. It's not fair to have Grace used against him, Danny knows Steve can't say no to her.

They finish up eating at Rainbow and then head over to Kamekona's for shave ice.

"Well if it isn't my favorite haoles." Kamekona greets them with a big smile. "It's good to see you up and around, Bruddah!" he says pulling Steve into a big bear hug. Kamekona is glad to see Steve out of the hospital. He visited him in the hospital while Steve was still in a coma and also shortly after he woke up but hasn't seen him since, until now. Kamekona doesn't particularly like hospitals and seeing the Big Kahuna laid up in a hospital with such extensive injuries made him sick; Danny kept him updated with Steve's progress even though Kamekona didn't visit often, he figured the fewer people Steve had around to see him struggle through everything the better. He knows about the PTE and is hoping the meds will take care of it; a man like McGarrett won't do well if he can't do his job in full capacity.

"Thanks, Brah, it's good to be up and around."

"What flavor you want? It's on da house today." Steve orders his usual pineapple mango guava shave ice without any ice cream or beans while Grace gets cotton candy with beans, Mary orders rainbow with beans, and Danny gets Cherry with ice cream.

A few minutes later Kamekona brings them their orders only he brings Steve a large cup of pineapple mango guava shave ice with ice cream _and_ adzuki beans. "You look like you could use da calories, Brah. You got too skinny in da hospital; need ta fatten you up."

Mary and Danny stifle laughs as Steve's eyes bulge at the amount of shave ice in front of him. Even if he hadn't just eaten lunch there is no way he could eat all that. He feels a little sick just looking at it. Steve has been better about eating and has gained some of the weight back but still isn't back to his pre accident weight. "Uhh, thanks Kamekona." Steve finally manages to say.

"You eat all that 'n you'll be better in no time. Waiola Shave Ice is da cure for whatever ails you." Kamekona states. "You need anything else just yell. I got you're back."

They only stay long enough to finish their shave ice; Danny doesn't want to push his luck with Steve so they head for the house as soon as they are all done eating. Steve manages to eat about a fourth of the shave ice before calling it quits. When they arrive back at the house, Grace asks to watch a movie, since there is a sudden rain storm. It won't last long but it will deter them from playing in the surf for the rest of the afternoon. Grace chooses the movie and they end up watching The Incredibles. Steve falls asleep about half way through the movie with Grace curled up at his side. He wakes up an hour later in the same position, Grace is still cuddled up next to him and there is a baseball game playing on tv now.

Steve thinks back on the afternoon, he is glad Danny and Mary convinced him to go out for lunch. It felt good to get out of the house for a while to do something that didn't involve going to the hospital for rehab. He thinks Danny had a point about not letting the PTE rule is life or dictate where he goes or what he does outside of his home. He was nervous the entire time about having a seizure but he figures if the PTE is going to be something that can't be controlled with medication he needs to start getting out more and getting used to the idea that he may end up having a seizure in public. It is going to be difficult and take time but Steve has decided that he is going to try to do more outside of the house. It is something he is going to have to deal with if he wants to get on with his life and try to live as normally as possible. Although, he really hopes he won't have to; he is still hoping that the new medication Dr. Freeman started him on will be what he needs to stop the seizures. He is startled out of his reverie when Mary speaks.

"Who wants pizza for supper?"

"Ham and Pineapple?" Steve asks.

"No. Absolutely no ham and pineapple pizza!" Danny states vehemently.

"But Danno!" Grace whines.

"Ok, one ham and pineapple and one pepperoni for the Jersey boy." Mary says.

"Here, put it on my credit card." Steve says pulling his wallet out of his pocket and handing Mary his Visa card so she can call for delivery.

"You missed the end of the movie, Uncle Steve." Grace tells him.

"I know Gracie; I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. Maybe next time you come over we can watch the rest of it. How does that sound?" Steve gently tugs one of her pigtails.

Grace gives him an excited smile and nods, "I'll make sure I bring it over next time I come."

About thirty minutes later the doorbell rings and the pizza arrives. Steve helps Mary get plates and napkins out and set everything out on the dining room table. They fill their plates at the table but sit in the living room to eat so they can watch the rest of the game. Steve is amazed at how much of a baseball fan Danny has turned Grace into. She always wants to watch the Yankees when they are on tv and has even asked Danny to take her to some of the UH home games.

It is the bottom of the ninth inning when Steve starts to feel the auras. He excuses himself to the bathroom but realizes he won't make it to the bathroom and back before the seizure starts so he goes into the downstairs guest room to lie down. Neither Danny nor Mary notices the change in Steve. It's only after Danny realizes that he didn't hear the bathroom door close that he goes in search of his partner a minute later.

Danny finds Steve lying on his side on the bed in the guest room trying to breathe through the panic and auras. He crosses the room quickly and starts talking soothingly to Steve. "You're ok, Steve. I'm right here, just breathe in and out. You're doing really good." He can see that Steve's eyes have lost some of their focus and he isn't completely with it right now. He is lost in the throes of the auras and panic. This doesn't happen every time he has a seizure but occasionally it does. None of them have noticed a correlation between the pre-seizure auras like this and the severity of the seizure. Dr. Freeman thinks it has to do with how or what Steve is doing before it starts.

Danny continues to talk soothingly to Steve until his muscles tense up and the convulsions start a minute later. Danny glances at the bedside clock to note the time. He hates seeing Steve like this; it is so wrong to see his strong partner struggle to breathe as his body convulses. Steve's arms are curled tight against his chest, fingers and wrists bent into awkward positions. There is blood tinged saliva running out of Steve's mouth as he struggles to draw in a breath; he must have bitten his tongue at some point. He feels so helpless. There isn't anything he can do to help Steve until after the seizure stops. Mary is next to him now; she heard the grunts caused by air being forced passed Steve's vocal cords when the seizure started; since Grace is asleep she decided to help Danny and her brother.

92 seconds later Steve's body slowly stills as the seizure comes to a stop. He is breathing hard and fast now that he can finally draw in a breath without a struggle. Mary wipes the bloody saliva away from her brother's face. He is still deeply unconscious but his breathing is evening out and his lips are less blue looking.

After it is clear that Steve isn't going to wake up in the next few minutes, Danny steps out to check on Grace. She is still sleeping peacefully on the couch, unaware of what is going on. Danny then pulls out his phone to text Rachel that he is going to be late dropping Grace off because he doesn't want to leave Mary and Steve until Steve is with it again. He hopes his ex-wife isn't too upset with him about getting Grace back so late, since it is summer she doesn't have to be up early for school so Danny is hopeful that she won't be too mad.

Steve finally comes around about half an hour later. Initially he tries to get up to move to his own bedroom upstairs but Mary and Danny are able to convince him to stay downstairs for the night. A couple hours later, Mary has to wake Steve up to take his last dose of medication for the night. Normally Steve stays up late enough to take it before he goes to bed and as a backup he has his watch set to beep every eight hours as a reminder. Mary knows that Steve will be so deeply asleep that he won't wake up to his watch alarm.

-H50-

Monday morning sees Steve and Mary resuming their normal weekly routine. Steve wakes up early to get ready for physical therapy and his session with Dr. Tyson. He is confused when he wakes up in the spare bedroom downstairs but quickly remembers having pre-seizure auras the night before. He makes his way to the downstairs bathroom and takes care of business before heading up stairs to shower. He changes his neck brace to the basic EMT brace he uses in the shower before removing the pads, washing them in the sink, and replacing them with the spare set of dry ones. He lays the wet ones out on a towel on the counter top to dry before getting in the shower.

After his shower he puts on his regular neck brace along with a pair of black athletic shorts and a t shirt. Mary is already downstairs making coffee when Steve goes down. She is still in her pajamas which consist of a pair of green shorts and a pink tank top.

"Good morning Mary." Steve says as he snags a mug and pours himself a cup of coffee. He takes a few sips before taking his meds and downing a glass of water.

"Hey, how are you feeling today?" Mary greets him between sips of her own coffee.

"Not too bad, a little sore and have a slight headache but it's not that bad. How long?"

"About a minute and a half; Danny followed you to the guest room. You were pretty out of it before it started."

"Yeah, I kind of remember that much. Gracie didn't see did she?"

"No, she was sleeping on the couch. Danny was about to take her home when you disappeared. Then he didn't want to leave until after you woke up."

"Hmm." Steve says around bites of toast.

"I wouldn't worry too much about this one Steve. It was short and you had only taken what five doses of the new medication? You know it doesn't start working right away." Mary tries to reassure her brother.

It is clear Steve isn't going to say anything more so Mary simply says, "I'll go change clothes and then we can leave as soon as you are done eating."

Fifteen minutes later Mary is backing Steve's Silverado out of the driveway and heading towards the hospital. She drops him off at the front entrance before heading off to do her own thing. When Steve was first released she would wait for him in the waiting room but he finally convinced her that she didn't need to stay.

Physical therapy goes well for him. He is mainly just working on strengthening exercise to get rid of the limp. Stacy thinks he will be done with PT in another week or two so he will have a few weeks off before having to return for therapy on his neck.

Steve waits in Dr. Tyson's waiting room for about ten minutes before being called into his office.

"How are you, Steve?" Dr. Tyson greets him.

"Same as usual, I guess." Steve replies, taking a seat in the chair next to the window.

Dr. Tyson nods, "How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?"

"Yesterday I went out for lunch and shave ice with my sister, Danny, and Grace." He supplies.

"That's the first time you've left the house for anything other than rehab." It's a statement not a question.

"Yeah, Danny and Mary convinced me to go to Rainbow for lunch. Then Danny blackmailed me into going for shave ice."

"How so?"

"He had Grace ask me if we could go. He knows I can't say no to her when she asks something like that. I suspect she asked him initially and he told her to ask me instead." Steve isn't upset about it, despite sounding annoyed, he really isn't. He can't be annoyed with Gracie.

Dr. Tyson smiles and nods, "And how did it feel to get out of the house and away hospital."

"Good." Steve reluctantly answers. "I was hesitant to go out at first because I was worried about having a seizure in public but it felt good to get out of the house. I was worried about having a seizure the whole time we were out but it didn't happen."

"You've made a big step forward with that, Steve."

"It made me realize that I have to go on living my life and can't let the seizures control it. I haven't made my peace with the PTE but I'm working on it."

"I'm really impressed with this Steve. You've made a huge amount of progress in the last week."

Steve shrugs, "It doesn't seem like much."

"Believe me Steve, this is a big step you've made in getting out of the house, it is ok to take it slow though. If you rush things you will only set yourself back."

"Yeah, I guess."

"I spoke with Dr. Freeman a few days ago. He thinks you'll be cleared to go back to work in a couple weeks." Steve doesn't say anything about it so Dr. Tyson presses on, "Have you thought about when you are going to return to work?"

Steve just shrugs, it's a few minutes before he finally replies, "Stacy thinks I will only need another week or two of physical therapy before she releases me from it until I get the neck brace off. I think maybe after I'm done with therapy if I'm cleared then, probably just for half days."

"You don't sound too excited about going back to work."

"I still haven't decided if I want to continue with Five-0 if I can't return to field work." he confesses.

"Why not? You enjoy working at Five-0 don't you?"

"Yeah, but it won't be the same if I can't do field work. I don't know, I just think that maybe I will be happier doing something else if I can't go back in full capacity."

"Like what?"

Steve shrugs and sighs, "I don't know."

"I don't think you are in the right state of mind to be making decisions like that. You don't even know if you'll be stuck on restricted duty yet. I don't think you can make that decision right now. You need to wait until you know for sure whether or not the meds will work completely before you can make any decisions like that."

Steve doesn't respond, he just mulls over what Dr. Tyson said for the last couple minutes of the session. Steve is finally able to leave after what he feels like was four hours rather than just one.

Mary is waiting for him outside in the hospital parking lot when he finally exits the hospital. The drive back to the house is silent. Steve isn't in the mood to talk and Mary knows her brother well enough to leave him be for a while. Steve and Mary spend the rest of the day after lunch doing their own things, Mary researches possible careers while Steve naps and listens to his audio book.

Steve is in the living room watching tv as Mary is in the kitchen making supper when he hears a car pull up in the driveway. A minute later there is a knock on the door as it slowly opens. Steve is shocked to see Catherine standing in the doorway.

TBC

How do you think Cath is going to react to being kept in the dark about Steve's injuries? I know Steve seemed a little vulnerable and unsure of himself, maybe a little out of character but he has had his life turned upside down in a major way. Let me know what you think, reviews motivate me to write more :)


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Once again, I want to apologize for the long wait. I hope you are all still sticking with this story despite the long wait for each chapter. This one is a bit short but I wanted to get it out since it has been so long. I hope the end makes sense and that there are not many mistakes, I finished it in a hurry. I am doing the best I can to update as often as I can but writing has been a bit of a challenge lately. **

**Without further ado, here is the next part. **

**Chapter 27**

Steve is shocked to see Catherine standing in the doorway. He can see that she is just as shocked to see him wearing a neck brace.

"Oh my god! Steve what happened? Are you ok?" Catherine exclaims, dropping her duffle bag by the door as she steps inside.

"Catherine, what are you doing here?" Steve can't get past his shock. He knows Catherine isn't going to react too kindly to being kept in the dark about what has happened. But he really wasn't expecting her to just show up out of the blue. Last time he got an email from her she was still in Turkey.

"I wanted to surprise you. I just got orders a few days ago that I'm being reassigned to Pearl. Are you ok?" Cath's voice in filled with worry and concern.

"Hey, Steve, supper will be ready in a minute." Mary walks in from the kitchen. "Oh! Hi Catherine." She is surprised to see Steve and Cath staring at each other in the living room. She can tell that they are both shocked and surprised to see one another. "I'll uh, leave you guys to talk." Mary retreats back to the kitchen.

Steve finally snaps out of it. "Let's go talk on the lanai." He says as he makes his way to the double doors leading to the back yard. Cath silently follows him. Outside, Steve motions for her to take a seat and pulls a wicker chair around so he is seated across from here.

"What happened Steve?" Cath asks when he finally sits down.

Steve takes a deep breath and lets it out before speaking. "Alright first of all Catherine, the reason I haven't told you about what has happened is because it isn't something that you should have to read about in an email. I know I could have called the ship and talked to you but I didn't want you to be worried or distracted, especially since you probably wouldn't have been able to get emergency leave time."

Cath can see the worry and regret on Steve's face and can tell that he has really given some thought to whether or not contact her. She is still upset that he hadn't told her about getting hurt but she knows now is not the time to mention it and start an argument so she nods and encourages him to go on.

He tells her the story about the hike, finding the body, and the fall. He tells her about the injuries and the eight day coma as well as the right sided weakness from the brain surgery. He tells her about how he still doesn't remember anything from that day. He tells her everything about his injuries and his rehab all the while avoiding the topic of epilepsy. He knows he can't hide it from her; that she will find out about it eventually if he doesn't tell her now. Steve finally pauses in his explanation, trying to work up the courage to tell her.

"It sounds like you have recovered pretty well so far." Cath says. She knows there is something else that he isn't telling her, she can always tell when he is keeping something from her. "What aren't you telling me, Steve?"

Steve is quiet for another minute before finally confiding in her about the epilepsy. "Cath, the head injury caused some damage to my brain." He takes another deep breath, "A few days after I woke up from the coma, I started having seizures. I… I have Post Traumatic Epilepsy."

Catherine gasps, she brings her hand up to cover her mouth. "Oh Steve." She says grabbing his hand. "Is there anything they can do about it?"

"I'm taking a couple anticonvulsants that we are hoping will stop the seizures but we don't know yet. I was just started on another one on Friday but it takes a while for it to start working. My last seizure was last night."

"How often do they happen?"

"At first it was every couple days, sometimes more often. There was one day where I had, I think, five in less than two days. A few weeks ago my doctor changed my medication and that knocked them down to maybe once or twice a week and they only last a minute or two. At first they would last anywhere from two to five minutes. Last night's was the first in nine days. We are hoping that the combination of medications will stop them but we won't know for a while and even then it may take several weeks or months to get the dosages right."

"And if the anticonvulsants don't work?"

Steve looks away, "Then I get used to life with epilepsy, I guess. There's a special high fat low carb diet I can try. Other than that just try to avoid triggers I guess; but if they can't be controlled completely then I will have to take a desk job and I won't be able to drive. Cath…I've been medically discharged from the Navy."

"What?!" Catherine is shocked by that confession. She can't imagine Steve not being in the Navy. He's been a sailor his entire adult life.

"Yeah, PTE means I am no longer considered fit for duty, even if the meds do work."

"Oh Steve. I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how much the Navy meant to you." Catherine pulls him into a hug. Steve didn't realize how desperate for her touch he was until she showed up at his door tonight. He hugs her back tightly and whispers 'thank you'.

"How much longer do you have to wear the neck brace?" Catherine asks, fingering the brace that keeps Steve's neck from moving.

"Probably until the end of June or beginning of July," Steve explains, it is nearing the end of May and he has four to six weeks left in the neck brace.

"That seems like a long time for a hairline fracture." Catherine does the math in her head to figure out how long Steve will have worn the brace by the time he gets it off.

"It started out as a hairline fracture but during one of the seizures I had a few days after I woke up I aggravated my neck and turned the hairline fracture into a complete break. So I have to wear it for longer than originally thought."

"Are you going to be able to return to Five-0?"

"Dr. Freeman, my neurologist, says I can go back to desk duty soon. If the meds work and I'm seizure free for six months then I will be cleared for full field duty. I haven't decided yet if I will stay with Five-0 if the meds don't work. Dr. Tyson says it is too soon to make decisions like that though."

"Who is Dr. Tyson?"

"My shrink." Steve's face reddens a bit as he says it. He is a little embarrassed that he still needs to see the shrink twice a week.

Catherine nods, she can see his embarrassment, "Steve, seeing a shrink to help you deal with all this isn't something to be embarrassed about. I would be worried about you if you weren't. It's normal needing help to deal with something like this."

Steve knows what she said is true but it doesn't change the way he feels. "Are you mad I didn't call you about all this?"

"I'm a little disappointed but I'm more sad than mad. I know you had your reasons for not telling me and I even understand them. But I wish you would have told me. I could have tried to get some leave time. I could have at least been there for you, even if it wasn't in person."

Steve can hear the disappointment in her voice but is relieved to hear that she isn't mad at him even though he knows that it would have been totally justified if she was.

"Have you eaten yet? Mary made beef stir-fry. I'm sure there is enough for another person."

"That sounds good. How long has Mary been here?" Cath asks as she gets up to follow him inside.

"For a few weeks now, she came right before I got out of the hospital. She's going to move back to Hawaii and go to school."

Inside, Mary is sitting at the dining room table eating stir-fry and reading a Cosmo magazine. She looks up when she hears them enter. "Hey, there is plenty of food; you may have to heat it up a little though. It's still on the stove."

"Thanks Mary."

She watches the couple head to the kitchen. Catherine doesn't seem too upset that she was kept in the dark but they were out on the lanai talking for a long time. Mary hopes Catherine isn't mad at her brother. That is the last thing he needs right now. Mary likes Catherine though; she seems like a good fit for her big brother so she hopes that the two of them can work through things.

The stir-fry is lukewarm so Steve turns on the burner to heat it up some more. Catherine watches as he deftly stirs and turns the meat and vegetables so they all get heated. The fact that Steve is actually skilled in the kitchen surprised her at first. She never would have thought that the man who went to military school at 16, attended Annapolis, and then went in to the SEALs and NI would be a decent cook after eating in mess halls and MREs for over half of his life. Technically he isn't cooking right now but he still demonstrates skill while reheating the food. After he determines it is hot enough he dishes up two plates and grabs a couple forks from the drawer.

Catherine follows him to the dining room where Mary is still at the table. She has finished eating but is still reading her magazine. Steve sits down at the end of the table and Cath sits next to him so she is across from Mary. It is a little awkward at first, Steve and Cath concentrate on the food before them as Mary looks through her magazine, occasionally glancing up at the couple, studying them.

"This is really good, Mary." Catherine finally breaks the silence.

"Thanks, it's our mom's recipe. So are you here on leave? Steve said you were going to be deployed until July."

Catherine shakes her head, "No, I've be reassigned from the Enterprise to Pearl. The intelligence office at Pearl is expanding so they needed more officers who already have intelligence experience. My CO recommended me for a position, I wasn't supposed to start until after the deployment but things have progressed more quickly than scheduled so they pulled me from the Enterprise. I have a week of leave before starting my new assignment. Steve said you are moving back to Hawaii to go to school?"

Mary nods, "Yeah, I'm sick of LA and I want to be closer to home. I applied to UH so now I'm just waiting to hear if I got in and get all the details ironed out."

Steve can't help but smile with pride at his little sister. Never would he have imagined that Mary would be going to college. After their mom died and their dad sent them away, she stopped caring about school and started hanging out with the wrong people and making bad decisions. He is so proud of her and is thrilled that she is finally being a responsible adult.

"Wow," Catherine exclaims, "That's great Mary. Do you have any idea what you are going to study?"

"I think social work, or maybe psychology. I haven't decided yet."

"That's really great Mary."

"So do you have any plans for your leave?" Steve asks after a lull in the conversation.

Cath shakes her head, "Not really. Just R and R. Do you have rehab tomorrow?"

"No, I go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Tomorrow is an off day but Gracie is coming over in the afternoon. Rachel has a meeting and Danny works so she is going to spend the afternoon with us since it is Danny's day to have her."

"I take it things are better between them now?" Cath remembers Steve telling her about the bitter feelings between the ex-couple and how Rachel would jerk Danny around regarding custody days.

"Yeah, they are on much better terms now. Rachel has been pretty lenient with the custody arrangement lately and has even let Danny have her on days that aren't his, like when I got out of the hospital she let him have her for the night so we could celebrate."

"How long have you been out of the hospital?"Cath asks.

"Since the beginning of May, not quite a month. Do you want to go sit in the living room? We can watch a movie or something." Steve suggests. Mary went up to her a room a few minutes ago to give the couple some time together.

They settle on the couch together to watch True Grit. Catherine is snuggled up against his shoulder and he has her arm wrapped around her. Neither of them pays much attention to the movie. Catherine is lost in thought, contemplating everything Steve has revealed to her tonight; while Steve rehashes the whole conversation in his head, Cath didn't say much about the epilepsy or his other injuries; he hopes she isn't lying about not being mad at him. He doesn't think she is but she has been off since he told her about everything. He thinks maybe she is just overwhelmed by it and needs time to process everything. At least he hopes that is the case. He is somewhat afraid that Cath might leave him after this. But then again he can't really blame her for not wanting to have a boyfriend who can't do his job or drive, and who has to live with his little sister because he could die if he has a seizure while he is alone.

Meanwhile, Catherine is just thinking about how grateful she is that Steve survived the accident and seems to be recovering well. She is concerned about his state of mind though, he doesn't seem to be coping with the epilepsy very well. She can only imagine how hard it is for him to deal with the fact that he is no longer in the Navy and that he may not be able to fully do his job again. She knows how important serving his country is to him and how proud he is of his service. Catherine can't believe how much he has come to love his job with Five-0, at first Steve was worried about it since he took the job on a whim in order to catch Victor Hesse but it did not take long for him to realize how much he enjoys being a cop and working with the team he has put together. Catherine knows Steve will be devastated if he can't return to work and lead the team the way he has been for the last eight months. She keeps repeating a prayer in her head that the medications will work and Steve will be able to continue to lead Five-0. Even if he can't though, she will be with him to support him every step of the way. She thinks that as long as Steve has people who care about him around him, he will be ok.

At eleven, both Steve and Cath are startled out of their thoughts when Steve's watch beeps to remind him to take his next dose of medication.

"Going somewhere, Sailor?" Cath asks as Steve tries to extract himself from her grasp to get his meds.

"I need to get some water and take my next dose of meds." He replies as he digs into his pocket for the small camouflage pill tin that Kono gave him for his medications. The tin has a divider down the center so he can put both the medications in the tin rather than carrying his prescription bottles around in his pocket all day.

Cath hits the pause button on the remote as she watches him retreat to the kitchen for the water; he returns less than a minute later. After they are settled in again, they resume the movie even though that at this point neither of them has a clue as to what is going on in the plot.

By the end of the movie Steve is sleeping and Catherine has no idea what just happened. She turns off the TV and DVD player before kissing Steve on the lips to wake him up.

"Hey, Steve, you're sound asleep. Time for bed." She prods him until he is awake enough to navigate the stairs.

"You going home?" Steve questions sleepily.

"Do you want me to?" Cath is unsure whether or not Steve really wants her around right now.

"Stay." He mumbles and tugs her hand a little. As long as he has her here he isn't going to let her go.

Cath grabs her duffle bag and follows him upstairs.

TBC


End file.
